The Cat and the Riceball
by thunder2010
Summary: Just random plot one-shots of my favorite couple since middle school. Updates at least twice a month. Some with the curse, some without.
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt one: Amnesia**

Kyo was aware there was a vaguely annoying beep sound around him. He shifted in his bed and groaned. He didn't feel like waking up yet. He wanted to keep dreaming that he was flying. And then his arm painfully stung as he put his weight on it.

He muttered a curse and immediately rolled off of his injured arm. He opened his eyes and expected to see his dojo ... But instead he saw that he was in a white room on an unknown bed with a wire attached to his finger.

Where was he? He tried to call out but found this his throat was parched, he reached for the glass of water next to him and found that his arm was bleeding.

"Ah shit," he said, using his other arm to sit up.

His head was pounding and the increased beeping from the machine to his left wasn't helping. He checked his bleeding arm but the injury didn't seem too bad. Using his other arm he picked up the glass of water. Then he noticed there was something on his wrist next to the normal beaded bracelet. "Kyo Sohma" it read. "000596 - Ellicot hospital."

Hospital.

The word seemed vaguely familiar. But he couldn't exactly remember why he knew the word. Figuring he should do something about his bleeding arm, he got out of bed and began to look around.

He found an off switch for the machine on his left and saw a cabinet on the right side of the room. It was stocked with gloves, some packets of antiseptic wipes, and gauze.

Taking a wipe packet and gauze, Kyo cleaned his arm and wrapped it. It stung incredibly but he grit his teeth and continued. He wondered how this had happened.

He had been in the dojo last night... Right? The scary part was he couldn't even remember. He remembered Sensei and blue berry cupcakes, but nothing else. This was weird.

The sky was bright and blue through the window and Kyo assumed it was morning. He could hear plenty of noise outside of the room he was in. What was this place that had sadness jumping off of the white walls and smelled of bleach?

He was just about to get up and leave the room when someone entered with a plastic plate of food. Their eyes widened in alarm when they saw him.

"Sir, what are you doing out of bed? You should be resting!" It was a lady who looked about the same age as sensei, but with dark skin and a hair style he vaguely remembered were called "Dreds". She was wearing tiny earrings in the shape of a bow. Something in Kyo stirred but he couldn't remember why a bow would be significant to him.

"What?" He asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm nurse Garland, now please get back in bed."

Kyo frowned at her, but did as she asked. "Where am I? Where's sensei?"

"You're in Ellicot city hospital, sir. Now why don't you start on -"

"What's a hospital?" He asked.

"Excuse me?" She asked, so startled that she almost dropped the tray of food. Thankfully, Kyo caught it and helped Nurse Garland put it on the counter next to him. Wait... Nurse... Hospital.

"You said I'm in a hospital?" Kyo asked, a shiver running down his arm as he looked around.

"Yes, do you know what that is?"

Kyo rubbed his head as it pounded more. Why didn't he remember what it was the first time she said it? Of course he knew what a hospital was. "Yes I - uh I just forgot for a second. Why am I here? What's wrong with me?"

"I don't have your chart with me, dear. But eat your breakfast because the doctor should be here soon."

Kyo nodded and she gave him a brief smile before she left. He hated hospitals. He couldn't remember why, but he knew he hated them. Kyo could feel his anxiety rising and started to take deep breaths. When the doctor came, Kyo would ask for his phone and would call Sensei. Sensei would know what to do. Shaking away his panic, Kyo reached for the tray of food.

They had given him chocolate milk, a bowl of jello, a piece of bread, and a banana. He ate the jello first; something about the strawberry red color appealed to him.

When he finished, he reached for the chocolate milk carton. On the side of it, where the label was, was a picture of a cat. It was an innocent drawing - but it gave Kyo a terrible headache.

He put it down and swallowed the rising panic. A cat. Why was a picture of a cat giving him a panic attack?

And then it hit him all at once.

Akito, his parents, his bloodlust for Yuki, _his true self_ -

With a pained cry he threw the milk carton on the floor. Tears were welling up in his eyes and disgust was settling in the pit of his stomach. How could he have forgotten? How could he have even forgotten for one second the monster that he was?

Head throbbing, Kyo got out of the bed and made for the bathroom that was attached to the hospital room. His body was shaking with anger and despair and he barely felt the chill of the cold water as he splashed his face with it.

For a simple blissful moment he thought he was just a normal person. He had forgotten how much of a burden this curse was - how much of a burden he was to the world.

After a couple more minutes of crying, Kyo began to calm down. This was his life, he shouldn't forget that. There was no escaping it. This was probably all Yuki's fault anyway. The last thing he remembered was being with Shigure and Yuki.

A knock at the door startled him and he turned to see a young blonde man in a white lab coat. "What do you want?" Kyo glared at him.

Surprisingly, the man smiled at him. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Sohma. Why don't you take a seat while I examine you?"

Kyo wanted to push past the man and just go beat Yuki up, but something stopped him. He felt like there was more he needed to remember. So he took a seat on the hospital bed as the man spoke and nurses checked his body.

"My name is Dr. Anderson. You weren't conscious last night, and you were brought in because you'd injured yourself while on your motorcycle. Do you remember that?"

"No." Kyo said. He didn't remember even having a motorcycle. "I - uh I think I tore the stitches on my arm."

He extended his arm out to Dr. Anderson who unwrapped the gauze. "Oh, just a minor stitch. I'll do that right now." He left for a second and came back with the materials. "Here, can we take your bracelet off?" he asked, touching the white and black beads.

Kyo immediately snatched his arm away. "No!" he glared. Dr. Anderson made a face, but then continued stitching Kyo's arm back up.

"We found your ID and called your family last night."

"My family?" Kyo asked in alarm. If Akito found out that he was here instead of with the family doctor-

"Yes, Shigure Sohma. He is your guardian, right?" Kyo swallowed, not knowing what to say. Honestly, in the eyes of the government he had no idea who was his guardian. Everything seemed blurred when he thought about it. Sensing, his distress, Dr. Anderson put a hand on Kyo's shoulder. "Look, the nurse told me you were having some trouble. That's okay. Some amnesia is normal for patients who have had head trauma. Luckily, yours is not that bad so everything should be coming back to you by the end of the day. When you see your family in a minute or so it'll become clearer."

"Are you sure?" Kyo asked.

"I'm sure, Mr. Sohma. I asked your guardian if we could keep you for another night just in case but he had a feeling you'd want to come home if nothing was wrong."

Kyo nodded. "I hate being in a hospital."

"That's okay." Dr. Anderson smiled and Kyo vaguely thought of a girl who also smiled too often for her own good. He couldn't remember her name though. "Your CAT scan is clean and you have no broken bones. You're free to go whenever your guardian comes."

Kyo nodded again, pulling his arm back now that Dr. Anderson was done. Dr. Anderson picked up the milk carton on the floor and left it beside Kyo.

"Have a good day, Mr. Sohma. Take care."

Kyo lay back in bed and closed his eyes. He had amnesia. That explained everything earlier and why thinking about anything hurt his head. It wasn't long before he recognized the stink of a rat.

A few minutes later, Yuki came into the room followed by Shigure and a strange girl. "Who are you?" Kyo asked her immediately.

She looked stricken, and Kyo felt weirdly guilty. "You- you don't know who I am, Kyo?"

"Tohru, it's okay." Yuki said to her, taking her hand. "The doctor said the amnesia is going to go away."

"Yes but," she hesitated. "You don't remember me at all?"

"No." Kyo said in the same rude tone. He didn't like girls staring at him - and he especially didn't like how this one was getting teary eyed.

"Do you remember who you are?" she asked, her eyes never leaving his.

"Of course I remember who I am." he glared at Shigure and Yuki. "Who is this dumb girl, and why is she here?" he asked.

"Come on Tohru, we'll go get his discharge papers." Yuki said to the girl. She looked at Kyo for another moment and then nodded.

Shigure sighed once they'd left. "Oh, Kyo."

"What's the matter with you?" Kyo eyed him in annoyance.

"We've been so worried about you, I forgot you were like this."

"What do you mean, 'like this'?"

Shigure stepped closer to him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Asking for directions to your place so I could come kick some rat ass."

Shigure's eyes widened in alarm. "I uh- I don't mean to scare you, but that was over half a year ago, Kyo."

Kyo felt panic rise in him, but refused to show it. "I'll be fine. The doctor said it would go away."

"Mmmhm, yes. But-"

"The doctor also said that I'm here because of a motorcycle accident. Since when did I get a motorcycle?"

At this, Shigure's expression of worry intensified. "Ah, Tohru did tell you not to get it. And there you go - causing her unnecessary grief."

Kyo sighed. Shigure never did answer any question straight. "Who is that girl anyway? Why was she crying when she was here? Does she know about us?"

"That's Tohru." Shigure said, eyeing Kyo with an odd expression. "She's your wife."

Kyo choked on air. "What did you say?" he exclaimed, with wide eyes.

"You heard me." Shigure said, smiling. "And she's been worried sick about you so I think you should be treating her better."

Kyo was sputtering. "When- how could I- You- You're lying."

But Shigure shook his head, that amused smile still on his face.

"But I'm only in highschool!" Kyo exclaimed. "Why would I-"

"It was a private affair. Both of you are in high school so I suppose you guys didn't want anyone to know. Or you just wanted her all for yourself." Shigure said, looking at the ceiling nostalgically. "Even I didn't get to see Tohru all dolled up as a bride. I bet she looked heavenly."

Kyo opened his mouth to tell the pervert to shut up, but he couldn't get the words out. He'd only forgotten about 7 months of the year how could this have happened? "You're lying." He said again. At this moment Yuki came in.

"I told Tohru to wait in the car. I didn't want this one to say anything else to her."

Kyo eyed the rat. "How do I know that girl?" He asked Yuki.

Shigure sighed. "Kyo refuses to believe that him and Tohru are married."

"Am I really married to her?" Kyo asked. "I don't even have a wedding ring! I don't believe this."

Yuki shared a long look with Shigure before finally nodding. "I thought it would be better for you to realize it on your own, but I suppose it would hurt Tohru less if you just accept it now."

"But I don't remember it!" Kyo argued. "And I don't have a wedding ring!"

"You don't remember a lot." Yuki said calmly. "And you two never had rings. It ... Was a private affair."

Kyo sighed and plopped back down into the pillows. "This is ridiculous," he said to no one in particular.

"You'll get used to it." Shigure said. "If Tohru is happy with you, then so be it."

"Speaking of Tohru," Yuki said. "You hurt her feelings earlier. You should apologize."

Normally Kyo hated Yuki, but he hated him even more when Yuki told him to do something. "Shut up you damn rat. I'll apologize if I feel like it."

Kyo could feel the other two Sohmas glaring at him, but neither said anything. Kyo wondered why they weren't arguing with him. Yuki always argued back. When he looked at Yuki, he was surprised to find a small smile on his face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"When the hospital first called and told us you were hurt, I - we were all very afraid for you. I thought I was never going to hear you say "damn rat" ever again."

Kyo recoiled from the kindness in Yuki's voice. Since when did the rat not hate him? This was weird. He felt panic rising up in him again.

"Awwww," Shigure said leaning toward Kyo with open arms. Kyo jumped off of the bed to avoid him.

"Don't do that." He glared at Shigure.

"Kyo why are you so mean?" Shigure whined.

"Because you're always acting crazy!"

"I just want to hug you! We've missed you."

Kyo dodged him once again. "Stop trying to hug me!"

At this Yuki laughed and Kyo realized that he wouldn't mind hearing Yuki laugh more. "Come on you stupid cat. Here's some clothes. I'll go wait with Tohru in the car."

Shigure sighed. "I'll go finish signing those hospital papers."

* * *

Tohru glanced at Kyo from the corner of her eye again. He was sitting stiffly next to her; Shigure for some reason had insisted they sit together so maybe Tohru could trigger some memories. Currently Kyo had a very strained expression on his face and she wondered if he was in pain.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

He looked at her weirdly. "I'm fine." He said. He wasn't as hostile as he was in the hospital earlier and Tohru wondered what the other Sohmas had said to him. Yuki had come back to the car with a smile on his face and told her that it was going to be okay.

Tohru didn't know why she had gotten so worried that Kyo hadn't remembered her. Even if he didn't, they could just make new memories. She would be just a good friend to him as she was before. She just had to remember that he had woken up with his memory gone and it must be weird for him.

"So uh - you know about us?" Kyo asked her, still not looking at her. "About the curse?"

Tohru nodded. "All of it."

His jaw clenched, and his face reddened a little. He turned his face toward the window so no one would notice. "How did you find out?"

Tohru giggled, remembering their very first encounter. "I accidentally hugged you when you kicked your way in. You were trying to fight Yuki."

"You hugged me?" Kyo asked in a somewhat strange voice, and Shigure laughed from the driver's seat.

"Yes, or more like I bumped into all three of you at the same time. Before I knew it I was surrounded with three talking animals and then POOF three naked men. I almost had a heart attack."

Shigure and Yuki both laughed as they related the story back to Kyo from their own point of view and how he fixed the screen door. Kyo just continued to look at them in alarm as if they were all strangers.

"So, Yuki and I - we aren't enemies? We don't fight anymore?"

"No," Yuki said simply. "You've lost too many times so I just decided to stop."

Kyo frowned. "You damn rat- As if I would ever lose to you."

Yuki responded by turning on the radio. Tohru saw Kyo take a deep breath, and she wondered how sad it was that this was weird for Kyo - being friendly with his family. She patted his hand and smiled even when he gave her an alarmed look.

"I was wondering if when we get home, would you like to take a walk with me? Maybe jog some memories?"

Kyo opened his mouth to speak but Shigure spoke up for him. "Oh what a great idea Tohru! Isn't that a great idea, Kyo?"

Kyo thought a better idea would be hitting Shigure on the head, but Tohru's hand was still on his. "Yeah, sure." he said, meeting the girl in her blue eyes for the first time. She smiled and Kyo swore he knew that smile. But he just couldn't remember it. "What if," he said slowly. "What if my memory never comes back? Would you be okay with that?"

Tohru shrugged. "I would have no choice but to accept it, I guess. And we could always make new memories."

Kyo nodded, gazing at her fully now. It was weird. This girl next to him was his wife, and he had no idea who she was or what she was like. He wondered what was going through his head when he decided to marry her. She was pretty, and he loved the way her hair fell over her ear. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand reached up to move her hair and Tohru froze.

She looked at him and he pulled away quickly. "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to weird you out or anything."

"No, no." That gentle smile was back. Like she was afraid of fully showing her affections for him. "You - uh - you do that all the time. I was just - surprised I guess."

The rest of the ride was silent. When they arrived at the house, they saw Momiji and Hatsaharu waiting for them. Kyo made a face.

Momiji jumped up and down, waving excitedly even though they were a few steps away. "Kyo! Kyo!" He cheered. "You're back! You're alive!"

Kyo stepped away from the hyper little boy in case he tried to hug him too. "Yes," he said in a cautious tone.

"Hi Momiji, hi Haru!" Tohru's cheerful voice sounded behind them.

Haru stopped to inspect Kyo for a moment. He nodded and then moved next to Yuki. "Hello Yuki."

Yuki smiled at his cousin and they both went inside the house.

Shigure slammed the car door. "Is no one going to say hi to me?" He whined.

Momiji pushed Kyo a little to side and bounded next to Shigure. Kyo bumped into Tohru as he regained his balance.

"Oh, sorry." She said holding onto his arms so they would colliding into one another. Kyo gave her an odd look for a moment and then looked at the roof of the house.

"We were sitting up there." He said slowly. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the scene more vividly. "On New Years?" In his head he saw Tohru sitting next to him. He remembered her small frame next to him, so close that he could've held her.

"I remember." Tohru said. She watched as the emotions ran across Kyo's face as he remembered what he said.

"You tried to punch me," he said opening his eyes and smiling down at Tohru with an amused look.

Tohru bit her lip and looked away. "I told you not to ride that motorcycle in the rain. I was worried last night when-"

"Come on Tohru! Let's go inside! I bought the cupcake batter!" Momiji interrupted and pulled Tohru by the hand.

Kyo rolled his eyes as she obliged and kept pace with the little rabbit. He felt a little better about life now. He remembered Tohru. He remembered the first time he saw her, he remembered her mother, and the conversation they had on New Year about the curse.

Ten minutes ago he felt like he was riding in the car with strangers but now he felt a connection to the people around him again.

Shigure clapped Kyo on the back. "You're very lucky to have her." He said. "Tohru really cares about you."

Kyo looked up at the roof again as his chest tightened. Tohru cared about him; and he remembered caring about her too.

* * *

Kyo reached for Tohru's hand when they stepped out of the house. He supposed that even if he couldn't remember being married to her, he probably shouldn't shun her.

Tohru, having no idea was was going through his head, gave their intertwined hands a started look. Kyo had never showed any affection toward her before. As for her, her heart always leapt the second she saw him. There was something about the way he looked at her, something about the way his sadness spoke to her, and something about how his lips moved that entranced her.

"So what's been going on?" Kyo asked her after a moment of quiet. "Like what have I forgotten?"

Tohru shrugged. "Nothing really. You got that motorcycle last month even when I told you not to."

At this he gave Tohru's hand a small squeeze. "I'm okay though. It's just a minor scratch."

"This time."

Kyo wanted to hug her. He could sense the anger in her voice and wish he could just go back and undo buying that dumb bike. "Please don't be mad at me." He used their intertwined hands to pull her in front of him. Tohru stumbled but managed to catch herself before she could hit his chest. "I hate when you're mad at me."

Tohru stared up at this new man in front of her. Who wasn't afraid to hold her hand and talked openly to her. She wondered what had stirred this in him. Did he like her?

"I'm not that mad," she said, beginning to turn red as he kept looking at her.

He smiled and began to stand beside her again. "So what else?"

"Momiji brought leek soup the other day and you actually ate it." She could feel Kyo cringe next to her.

"You're not serious." He said, but the vague memory of it was coming back now.

"I am very serious," Tohru laughed. "Momiji forgot that you didn't like it but he was just so excited for someone to taste it. And you were the first one he asked."

"I think I remember that day."

"You and Momiji have become closer. It's very sweet."

"I bet it's because of you." Kyo said.

"What?" Tohru turned to see him looking at the ground.

"Ah - I just meant that, you - Momiji has always liked being around you. And I - I also enjoy being with you. So you know... It's just kind of - not a surprise."

"You've never said that to me before." Tohru said, the smile on her face growing wider with each passing second.

Kyo gave her a strange look. "I've never said that?"

"Nope."

"I never said anything nice like that?"

"No, why do you think you did?"

"Well I mean- you and I - Then... How did we ever progress in our relationship?"

At this Tohru dropped his hand. "What relationship do you think we have?"

They were both quiet for a second. Tohru's heart was hammering so hard she thought it would come out of her chest.

Oh God. She thought. What if he was in a relationship with someone and he didn't remember who because of the amnesia so he just assumed it was her? So him holding her hand... Talking to her like this...

"Shigure said uh - he said that we're married." From the alarm on Tohru's face Kyo realized that was the wrong thing to say.

Tohru stuttered to get the next words out. "Shigure said what?"

Kyo's face turned a bright shade of red. "So we aren't married?" He asked.

"No." She said, in an equally panicked voice as his.

Kyo growled and turned toward the house. "I am going to kill that man!" He announced, taking long strides away from a speechless Tohru.

"Shigure!" Kyo slammed opened the door. "Where are you? You son of a -"

"Now Kyo, there's no need for such foul language!" Shigure said appearing from the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream.

"Why the hell did you tell me that I was married to Tohru?" He exclaimed. "I just made a big fool of myself!"

Shigure gave him a horrified look. "You didn't try to attack the sweet virgin Tohru, did you?"

Kyo's eye twitched. "No you idiot! I didn't do anything! But why did you say-"

Shigure had the audacity to shrug. "You two are basically in love with each other. But you're not admitting it for some reason. I was just trying to speed it up before too much time passes and you two are old and lonely, and still denying your love for one another."

"Shigure you idiot!" Kyo roared.

"You seem like you've gotten most of your memory back. Don't tell me: you don't love her?"

"No I haven't gotten most of my memory back." Kyo snapped. He didn't remember the last time he was so angry. Shigure had no right to make such an absurd joke. And where was Yuki? He had agreed to this dumb story too. The door opened and closed behind them and Kyo sensed that Tohru was back. Without looking at her, he grabbed his coat. "I'm going for a walk." He said, but Tohru stopped him.

"So all of that- you being nice to me was just because you thought we were married?" She asked.

Momiji and Yuki, who had been laughing loudly in the next room suddenly stopped making noise. It was a very rare thing that Tohru raised her voice.

"Tohru," Kyo said, trying to calm down. "I don't want to talk right now. Move-"

"No." She said, crossing her arms. "Answer me. Is that the reason you were holding my hand and talking nicely to me?"

"Yes." He grit out.

"So if it weren't for Shigure you would just be neutral towards me?"

"Tohru don't even bring in Shigure's ridiculous idea. I'm so angry at him-"

"Why are you so angry?" Tohru asked. There were tears in her eyes now. "Is it so horrible to believe that you liked me? Is it so horrible to believe you had a relationship with me?"

"What? No! This isn't about you."

"Then what is it? Why are you so angry?"

"Because I believed him!" Kyo yelled back at her. "Because I woke up this morning and I had no idea who I was and then I remembered the stupid curse. I remembered what a monster I am! And then when Shigure told me that I was married to someone - to you - I was happy. It was weird but I was so happy to know that maybe people really could see beyond the monster that I am. I remember some random conversations between us but nothing that proved that you actually liked me. And then to hear you say that there is no relationship between us I- That truly means that no one could ever-"

He took a shaky breath as Tohru put her hand against his face and wiped a tear away. He stared at her finger in shock. He had no idea he was crying.

"You are not a monster, Kyo."

"Tohru you don't know the whole story."

"I don't care." She said, and Kyo swore the ground underneath his feet shifted a little. "Kyo Sohma you are not a monster. And maybe Shigure was right. He probably did this because he knows that I was afraid to admit my feelings. And that doesn't mean they aren't there. Or that I think any less of you. I just - I was afraid that you didn't like me."

Kyo finally let out the breath of air he was holding. He wanted nothing more than to pull Tohru close to him.

"How could anyone not like you, Tohru?" She let go of his face so he could move close to her. He rest his forehead against hers and repeated his statement. "How could I not like you, Tohru. I don't even remember every detail of us being together but I can't stop thinking about everything I like about you. Everything I would like to get to know about you. I just - I don't think it's right that you would have to be with me. I can't even hug you-"

"I don't care."

"You say that now but-"

Then suddenly she put her hand on his neck and pulled herself up so that her lips were against his. It felt like someone lit a match inside Kyo. A delicious match that made him regret not kissing Tohru before. He melted into her slowly, but kept his distance from hugging her.

Tohru was vaguely aware of Momiji's cheer from the other room, but she didn't care who looked. All she cared about was the electricity running through her veins and the taste of Kyo against her lips. All she cared was that Kyo knew how much he meant to her.

When she pulled away moment later she was met with wide, orange eyes.

"I don't care about the curse." Tohru said. "All I care is about being with you. And I don't care if you don't remember everything; we can make new memories."

At first Kyo hesitated. He wanted nothing more to agree with Tohru, but he didn't want her to throw her life away for him. "Are you sure you don't care?" He asked her.

"I promise you, Kyo."

And then, finally, he smiled at her. He lowered himself and buried his face between her neck and shoulder, planting a small kiss that made her knees weak. "Fine," he said. "Then let's make new memories together."

* * *

A/N: I still really really really love this anime. I love Tohru's character, the wretchedness of the curse, Kyo's character development and how he lets Tohru into his life. This chapter could've been its own story but I didn't want to go too deep into the amnesia.

I don't have a whole story to write about them though, so I will mostly be doing one-shots. If you have a prompt idea leave it in the review. And tell me what you thought of this! I will try to update at least two more times before the end of the month. In the beginning of each chapter I will say whether or not it involves the curse.


	2. Chapter 2

When you're supposed to be writing a drabble but write a short story instead...

 **Prompt two: Fake dating[No curse] Tohru owes Kyo a favor and he decides to call it in for the new year's eve party.**

It was a beautiful day in August when Kyo received the bad news. "A New Year's eve party?" Kyo echoed hollowly.

"Yes! That's what I said!" Shigure practically serenaded.

"Sounds dumb to me," Kyo said. He hated family get togethers. Mostly because there was so much of the family.

"It's not dumb! And Yuki is supposed to be doing a special traditional dance."

"Good for him." Kyo's finger hovered over the red button that would end the call, but he decided against it. It had been about four months since he'd moved out of the house he'd shared with Yuki and Shigure Sohma. As much as he hated to admit it, there was something nice in hearing Shigure's voice. New York was full of people, but not one person had the aura of Shigure.

"Please tell me you're coming! We haven't seen you in one... two... three... four... It's been almost four-"

"Three months and two weeks and one day, Shigure."

"Awwwww see, I knew you missed us too." Kyo could practically hear the smile in Shigure's voice. "Now turn that frown upside down and please tell me you'll be there."

"I don't know if I can RSVP right now, Halloween was just yesterday. Plus, I haven't even received an invitation yet."

"I'm sure Akito's sent it in the mail already." Akito was the head of the Sohma family and also the girlfriend of Akito. It was up to her who was invited, and who wasn't. Personally, Kyo thought she was a bit crazy, but Shigure just insisted that she was a perfectionist.

"When it does, I'll tell you. But right now-" Kyo glanced at the clock in his office and began gathering his papers. "I've got a meeting to go to." By the time Kyo finally got Shigure off the phone, he was running late to the meeting. With a sigh, he gathered his papers and rushed out.

He was promptly stopped by running into a girl.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, barely stopping himself from crashing into her.

The girl - who had been examining the offices in Kyo's hall turned her wide eyes to him. "Sorry!" she said immediately, ducking her head. "I'm very sorry sir."

Kyo (for some odd reason) blushed; the girl looked barely any older than him. "Don't call me that." he said, in a more snappish tone than intended.

The girl nodded vigorously, her dark hair falling out of its bun. "Sorry, sir!" she said without thinking.

"Stop apologizing," he said, this time in a softer tone. She nodded again, even more vigorously. Kyo shook his head and was about to continue on when he realized the look in the girl's eye. Clearly she was lost. "Do you belong here?" he asked, gesturing to the office.

She bit her lip. "No, I- I mean I do belong here. But not here exactly - I'm an intern and I'm supposed to be meeting a Mr. Gohar... But I think I got the room number wrong."

"Of course you're an intern." Kyo said.

"What does that mean?"

"You look lost." Kyo said with a smile. He wanted to reach out and pat her on the head for the hurried look in her eyes. He wondered if she was running late like him. "Come on," he said, turning toward the elevator. "Gohar is on the same floor as where I'm going."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "Thank you! I've been asking people, but you all seem so busy."

Kyo nodded, hitting the button for the fifth floor. "That's New York for you." He said.

The girl held out her hand for him. "My name is Tohru Honda."

Kyo shook the blue-eyed girl's hand. "Kyo." he said simply. They arrived and although the meeting where Kyo was headed was in the opposite direction, he offered to lead Tohru to the room.

"Thank you very much, sir." Tohru said, turning to Mr. Gohar's office.

Kyo rolled his eyes, but didn't correct her. He needed to hurry up and get to his meeting. And then Mr. Gohar's voice stopped him. "You're late. What kind of image do you think this sets up for yourself if you come in 15 minutes late? If you want to stay here and be apart of this company then you definitely should have been here early. This is unacceptable!"

"Ye- Yes sir. I am very sorry. Please forgive me."

Now, Kyo agreed with Mr. Gohar. It was unprofessional to arrive at an appointment late. But something about the stutter in the girl's voice made him turn around and poke into the situation.

"Actually it's my fault." he found himself saying. Tohru eyed him in alarm, but Kyo just smiled. He didn't know Mr. Gohar personally, he had only reviewed his work a couple of times. But Kyo was more ahead in the company than him, which meant he could help Tohru out. Afterall, he knew all too well how hard it was to be an intern in a new place. "I was giving her a tour of all of the offices on the 8th floor and I didn't realize I was taking up too much of her time." In this company - the higher the office you worked on the higher you were in rank. Mr. Gohar eyed Kyo who was a good ten years younger. Kyo knew it annoyed older people that he had such a good position at a young age - but he also knew they couldn't do anything about it.

"You don't have to say anything for me." Tohru said, eyeing Kyo. "It is my fault."

Kyo shook his head and flashed another smile. "Please, Ms. Honda, it's okay. And Mr. Gohar, if she's missed anything because of my carelessness, feel free to call my secretary."

After another moment of trying - and failing - to stare down Kyo, Mr. Gohar finally took a seat. "That won't be necessary."

Kyo shrugged, and headed to his own meeting.

He saw Tohru again later that day. Or - she saw him first. "Hello again!" she said brightly. Unlike him, apparently after a hard day's work she got happier. Her hair was tied in a tighter bun and she looked wide awake.

"Hello," he said in a more tired voice.

If Tohru noticed his exhaustion, she said nothing. "I wanted to come back and thank you for helping me this morning. Both with helping me find the room and standing up to my boss."

Kyo shuffled some papers around his desk, searching for the right one. "It's nothing." he said. "I remember being an intern and it wasn't that easy."

"Well, you may think it's nothing. But I am very grateful, Mr. Sohma." Kyo nodded, and got back to his computer giving Tohru a tight-lipped smile. The day was over and to normal people that was good because they got to go home. But to Kyo, it just meant going home to an empty apartment. "I really owe you."

Kyo looked back up at Tohru, startled that she was still there. "It's nothing." he repeated.

* * *

The next time he was able to have a proper conversation with her was two weeks later. It was a Friday and Kyo stared gloomily at his car window as rain beat down upon it. The rain irked him. Maybe his family was right for being so superstitious about what zodiac sign they were born into.

And then he laughed. His family? Right? That would be the day.

He was about to drive out of the parking lot when he noticed that Tohru was heading out without an umbrella. He pulled up against the building and honked.

Tohru gave a little jump and Kyo managed to crack a smile.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked her.

"No thank you, Mr. Sohma." she said.

Kyo groaned. "You really need to stop calling me that. I told you my name is Kyo."

"And while we're working under the same roof, you'll be Mr. Sohma."

"That makes me sound like an old grandpa." he said, not caring that he was causing trouble for the drivers behind him.

"It's very fitting of you." Tohru giggled.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you another day," Tohru said, waving. "I really do need to go-"

As soon as the words left her lips they heard the metro bus drive by - which was Tohru's ride. Kyo raised an eyebrow at her. "You were saying?"

"I don't want to intrude-"

"You wouldn't be." Kyo said.

"I'm serious, there will be ano-"

"The next bus won't come by for another fifteen minutes. Do you want to stay in the rain for that long? Plus the metro stop is a five minute walk."

"I walk all the -"

"But it's raining."

Tohru huffed. "You know it's rude to interrupt people, right?"

"You know you'll probably catch a cold, right?" Kyo challenged. "I don't think Mr. Gohar would approve of that."

Tohru bit her lip. "If you're really sure it's not too much-"

"It's no trouble at all."

"You really need to stop interrupting me, Mr. Sohma." she said, opening the car door.

Kyo simply smiled at her. "Where to?" As Tohru told him the address, he was vaguely aware of her Jasmine scent. It smelled expensive and more suited for an older woman. He wondered why she wore it.

"Can we turn the music off?" Tohru said. "I like the sound of the rain."

"I will if you stop calling me Mr. Sohma." However, Tohru didn't agree.

"It's best to keep a professional relationship personal." she said.

"Calling me by my given name doesn't make this a non-professional relationship." But despite his argument, he turned his music off.

"You're different today." Tohru said after a moment of silence. She leaned back in her seat, trying to get comfortable.

"Care to explain?"

"I'm rarely ever up on the floor you work on, but when I am you usually have a frown on your face. Right now, there's no frown." Tohru looked at the man beside her before continuing. "So what's the reason?" She asked. "Is it the rain? You got a promotion? You have a girlfriend?"

Kyo thought the last question was way out of bounds for two coworkers but he wasn't complaining. For some reason, he enjoyed hearing Tohru's voice.

"No nothing like that. It's just that I finally found a dojo to train at near my place."

"Oh, you do martial arts?"

Kyo nodded. "Yeah, I used to do it a lot more especially because I used to fight with my cousin Yuki back in my old town. But now it's just me so I didn't really feel the need for it. And then I learned about it on Monday, and I'm planning to become a permanent member. You know how when you find something that makes you feel great, but you had no idea you needed it?"

Tohru nodded next to him. "I felt the same way when I found this little greenhouse down from the office. I go there every morning now just to smell the wonderful new flowers."

"You're into plant studying?"

"I used to be really into gardening when I lived with my grandfather. But here in New York there's no space for that."

"Yeah, New York always seemed big and full of opportunities. But now that I've been here for a while it just seems like it's suffocating and restricting."

Tohru shrugged. "I'm just glad I'm here and that I have a job. And I'm as much as I miss having my own garden, at least my bank account is thriving. Turn right up ahead, please."

Kyo nodded and pulled up to a very large hotel. He let out a low whistle. "Wow, you live here?"

Tohru shook her head. "No I work here at night."

"You work another job?" Kyo asked, his eyebrows flying straight up into his hairline. "I know the internship doesn't pay much but -"

"Oh what I earn from there isn't for me."

"What do you mean it isn't for you?" Kyo asked, finding a parking spot. A valet came to ask to take his car but Kyo waved him away.

"Well, most of it I send back to my grandpa. I save a little bit of it for food and bills. But I need this job to help pay for rent."

"But then, how are you so energetic? I work one job and I'm annoyed by the end of the day. I rarely ever see you anything but happy."

Tohru laughed. "You rarely see me as it is. But I guess when you enjoy doing something, that gives you motivation even when you're tired. I enjoy being able to support my grandfather. Two jobs is no walk in the park, but I will still continue to do it."

Kyo shook his head in amusement. Tohru saw the good in everything.

"I should go before I'm late." Tohru said, checking her phone. "Thank you for the ride Mr. Sohma. I owe you once again."

"You could show me gratitude by just calling me by my name." Kyo said. Tohru just laughed and shook her head.

* * *

When November rolled around, Kyo found himself alone in the staff coffee room. There was one coffee room on the second floor, one on the fifth floor, and one on the 15th floor. Kyo was usually there around the same time everyday and whether it was coincidence or just their regular pattern - Tohru was usually there too. She always brought a small container of lunch from home and warmed it up. He would join her and they would enjoy a nice conversation together or simply scroll through social media together.

After half an hour of silence, he went to Mr. Gohar's room to seek Tohru out. "Hey," he said knocking on the open door and peeking in the see the blue-eyed girl. "Are you not eating today?"

She smiled up at him and Kyo swore the room got a little brighter. "Hi! No, I forgot to bring lunch today so it's just this granola bar for me." She took a bite of the pitiful snack and Kyo cringed.

"That's all you're going to eat?" He asked. "Come on you have work later, you should eat a full meal."

Tohru shrugged. "This isn't the first time I've skipped lunch, Mr. Sohma. I'll be fine."

"Come on, it'll be my treat. There's this great little restaurant called Noodles and Company right down the street."

"I already owe you enough." Tohru laughed. "I insist that I'm fine."

"And I insist that you eat with me," Kyo said, imitating her tone.

"But what about work?"

"We'll be gone for less than an hour. And Mr. Gohar isn't even here today."

After one final look at her granola bar Tohru caved in. Kyo plucked it from her hands and promptly threw it in the trash.

They were in the middle of their meal when Kyo got a call. "Hey Shigure," he sighed.

"Hello, hello!" His cousin sang from the other end. Tohru heard and giggled. "I just wanted to let you know that you still haven't sent in your RSVP for the party and Akito is not very amused."

"What are you, her lap dog?"

Shigure huffed. "Maybe I am. But stop trying to change the subject. This is the first New Years party that they've finally invited the cat, you should be happy."

"Chill, Shigure. I'll send it in today."

"Good, good. Oh and I thought I should warn you: Kagura's bringing some friends."

"What do you mean?" Kyo asked. Kagura was Kyo's cousin who had a huge crush on him. Ever since he rejected her, she had been trying to set him up with one of her friends. Kyo thanked the Lord everyday that he was in New York so far from her.

"You know... She's probably trying to set you up with someone."

Kyo groaned. "Well tell her not to!" Tohru looked up at him, amused.

"And if she asks why?"

"I don't know-" Kyo fumbled for an answer that would help the situation. "Tell her I have a girlfriend."

"You don't have a girlfriend." Shigure said immediately. "I'm not going to lie to sweet Kagura who's only trying to help you-"

"I'm not lying Shigure!" Kyo said immediately. Tohru snorted at his response and he stuck his tongue out at her. "Just tell her please."

"Alright, alright. You better not be lying." Shigure said.

"Thank you." Kyo said. "Yeah I promise I'll mail it out. Yeah, I still remember where the house is. Okay. No I'm not getting you and Akito matching gifts! Why do I have to bring gifts? It's New Years not Christmas. No. Okay, okay. I'll bring gifts! Yes for everyone. Okay, bye." He gave Tohru a look. "Why are you grinning?"

She laughed, unable to contain her amusement. "The way you're so adamant not to bring a gift is funny!" She said.

"You would be too if you had 12 cousins who have very expensive taste. And then Shigure wants me to bring him and his girl friend matching gifts. The nerve to give such a stupid request."

"I could help you go shopping." Tohru suggested.

"Really?" Kyo asked, surprised. "I'm not that great of company when it comes to shopping."

"Oh it's fine." Tohru said.

And so three weeks later, they found themselves walking around Times Square on Black Friday. Tohru was holding onto Kyo's arm to avoid getting separated in the crowd. Neither one of them had been in relationship in a while so they were both hyper aware of the other.

"Macy's seems like a good place to start, right Tohru?" Kyo asked, trying to distract himself from the way Tohru's thumb was tracing circles on his inner arm.

"Yeah, we could start with perfumes. Do you know what kind of scents anyone likes?"

"I know Kagura likes Marc Jacobs. I'll get her the new one."

"How about kitchenware? Does anyone like cooking?"

"No, I don't think so."

"How about some sports stuff?"

"Oh! I could use some stuff actually. One of my friends at the dojo- Ow!" he said when Tohru hit his hand to make him drop the boxing gloves.

"We're not here for you. We're here so you can buy gifts for you family."

"Yeah I know but- Oh wow! Look at that sale on those TVs!"

"You aren't going over there unless you plan to buy one as a gift!"

"Tohru, come on. Looking wouldn't hurt."

They continued on like this for another three hours and Tohru found that while Kyo was a little bit irritable when it came to shopping, she still enjoyed his company. He made the funniest faces, and always had something to say back to her. They were passing the home appliances section when Kyo's phone chimed.

Tohru stopped to look at some jewelry so Kyo could take his call in private.

"Hi Kagura." Kyo said, answering.

"Hello my wonderful Kyo! Shigure told me the great news!"

"What-"

"Are you bringing your date to the party? You have to bring your date."

"Excuse me?" Kyo asked, and then he remembered his conversation with Shigure. He was supposed to have a girlfriend. "Yeah, no. She can't make it."

"What?"

"Yeah, she - uh she has something else to do. Go see her family and what not."

"But this is your first New Year's party at the Sohma house! You have to come!"

"Kagura, I'm going. But my girlfriend-"

"No, come on. Tell her she can see her family some other time."

"Kagura I'm not-"

"It's going to be so cute, Kyo! You guys can ring in the New Year with a kiss on the roof. And she can meet the whole family. I've already told Akito you're bringing a date."

Kyo rolled his eyes. "Well, un-tell her. She's not coming."

"Kyo! Stop being rude. We just want to meet her. What's her number, I'll tell her to come."

"No Kagura I am not giving you her number. Come on -"

There was noise in the background that interrupted Kyo. "Oh!" Kagura said. "Sorry Kyo, my train is here. I have to go. But I better see your girlfriend on New Year's."

"Kagura I said-"

"Love you Kyo!" And with that she ended the call.

Kyo sighed and made his way back to Tohru. She was currently trying on a necklace but was having trouble. "Here," Kyo said, resting his hands on hers. "Let me help you with that."

Tohru froze underneath of him. "Oh," was all she said as he sweeped some wayward strands of hair and clasped the necklace. He was vaguely aware that Tohru was shorter than him. And then he noticed that she wasn't wearing the high heels she usually wore at the office.

"Let's see then," he said and Tohru turned around to show him. He smiled and helped straighten the necklace. "Do you like it?" he asked.

Tohru nodded. "But it's completely just diamonds. Way out of my price range." Nevertheless, she turned to the mirror and examined it, lightly touching the necklace.

"It looks very beautiful on you," he said while she quietly admired it.

Tohru met his eyes in the mirror and smiled. "Maybe one day I'll see it sitting in my jewelry box. Do you - uh do you mind undoing the necklace?" she asked, and Kyo obliged. His fingers were a little more clumsy this time and Tohru felt herself blush every time his fingers brushed against her neck.

Eventually they walked out of Macy's. Kyo had finished shopping for almost all of his cousins except Shigure and Akito, but he said he would look at some online sales tomorrow.

"I'm so tired." Kyo whined, starting the car. "I hate shopping."

"Oh come on, you had some fun."

Kyo rolled his eyes. "The only fun I had was running away from you so I could sneak a look at the new flat screens." They were on the highway when Kyo realized he didn't know where Tohru lived. "Hey, Tohru? Do you want to come up to my place to have dinner?"

She looked surprised. "Oh, I thought you were dropping me back off at the train station."

"No, I'll drive you. It's the least I can do to thank you for helping me with these gifts. But I really would appreciate your company for dinner. My apartment is only a couple miles from here. Plus, I'm starving."

Tohru laughed. "Okay, that's fine."

The rest of the ride was silent and then they had to find a way to carry all 10 presents. Kyo insisted that because Tohru was his guest he should be holding everything, but Tohru was never one to listen to him.

"You can just set them down by the TV." Kyo said, opening the door for Tohru and turning the lights. "What do you want for dinner?"

Tohru shrugged off her coat and placed it on his sofa while she ventured into the kitchen. Kyo didn't have much so they decided on salad with chicken and oven-ready garlic sticks. They were quite comfortable with each other now and Kyo didn't even mind when Tohru looked around at the pictures in the living room. It was bigger than Tohru's apartment, but still fairly small. The TV took up most of the space opposite the kitchen and there was only one couch. On the wall behind the couch were framed pictures.

"That's Shigure, Yuki, and I on my graduation from UVA." Kyo said, pointing to each person before Tohru even asked. "I used to live with them before I moved here in April."

"Wow! You just graduated five years ago?" Tohru asked, noticing the date. "I just graduated two years ago."

"Yeah," Kyo said. "I didn't think you were more than a couple years younger than me. That's why it always bothers me when you call me Mr. Sohma."

"You're right. Maybe it does make you sound like a grandpa." Tohru said.

Kyo smirked and moved on to the next picture. "That's Hatsaharu, Rin, and Kisa. And that blonde boy is Momiji. And behind him is Kagura. Ugh, speaking of Kagura." Kyo made his way back to the door and picked up the invitation to the party. "I am not looking forward to New Year's."

"Why not?" Tohru asked.

"Remember I was on the phone the one time I took you out to lunch and Shigure called? Well, Kagura is fond of setting me up with her friends because she thinks I need to date more. So I told Shigure to tell her that I have a girlfriend. And now they expect me to bring her to the party!"

Tohru laughed, and made her way back to the kitchen where the oven timer had gone off - signifying the garlic sticks were done. "Just tell them she's busy."

Kyo began to set the table and grabbed a bottle of wine. "I tried that. But - ugh. They're probably going to know I'm lying. I'm going to look like an idiot and Akito is going to kill me."

"Why?" she asked, taking a seat next to Kyo.

"Akito is a bit of a perfectionist. Personally I just think it's OCD." he said, and Tohru laughed. "So Shigure said he checked off a "Plus 1" for me on the RSVP I sent back. And I forgot about it until just now. Knowing Akito, she'll probably set a place for my imaginary girlfriend and then glare at me the entire dinner when that place stays empty."

Tohru shook her head and laughed at the imitation of Akito. "Just ask one of your friends. No girl would turn down a date on New Years. And if not, there's still a couple more weeks to get out there and woo a girl."

"Yeah," Kyo sighed. "But I'm not really ready for a relationship. And I'm especially not ready for anyone to meet my crazy family."

"Your family isn't that crazy."

Kyo gave the blue-eyed girl next to him a look. "Just wait til you meet Momiji. He never stops bouncing around - he's literally a rabbit. And then there's always smug old Yuki. And then perverted Shigure. And then there's Ritsu who yells apologies." Tohru shook her head and sipped some wine. "No! You just haven't met them. Ritsu's always all "IM SORRY YOU DONT UNDERSTAND. PLEASE FORGIVE ME." And then there's Hatsaharu: "Oh, Yuki please say something. I worship everything you say." And then Momiji. He never stops yapping. Never!"

By the end of Kyo's little dialogue Tohru was in a fit of giggles. "Oh you laugh now. You have no idea how much they're going to bug me about my nonexistent girlfriend." And then he got an idea. "How about you come?"

Tohru blinked. "Me? If you're asking me out as a date, we really need to work on your pick up lines."

"No, not as a real date." Kyo waved off the idea even though it was quite interesting. "Just a fake date. For one night."

Tohru sipped some more wine. "Mmmm I don't know."

"You know my situation already." Kyo said. He didn't know whether it was the wine or what, but the idea of bringing Tohru as a fake date seemed to click everything in place. "I don't want to be in a relationship right now, so there's no point in going out and bothering some random lady and trying to woo her as you said. And neither of us are in relationships. Right?"

Tohru nodded.

"And, you aren't busy New Year's eve are you?"

Tohru smiled sheepishly. "I was planning to get a massage the day before and then just enjoy a day of netflix and ice cream."

"Oh, you can get a massage at the Sohma Mansion. It's an amazing place. And even though they're crazy I promise my family is more entertaining than any movie on netflix. AND there will be gourmet meals, not just one or two flavors of ice cream."

Tohru chewed her food slowly while Kyo waited on a response. "Okay, sure."

"Really?" Kyo asked. "It won't be too weird for you?"

"Oh it'll be weird. But I'll come." Tohru smiled. "Mostly because I want to see your family."

"Tohru, I promise you they aren't all that cool."

* * *

Tohru had been wrong to assume that because Kyo was only three years older than her, that he was in the same financial status as her. On the contrary, he was rich enough to afford two first class tickets to Virginia (where the Sohma Mansion was) and then a chauffeur picked them up from the airport to a hotel.

"Are you some kind of drug dealer?" Tohru asked him as they sat in the car.

Kyo had been tense the whole plane ride and had only smiled at Tohru once. She was hoping to break the tension, but it was no use. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes not leaving his phone.

"How are you affording to pay for all of this?"

"You think I paid for this?" Kyo snorted. " Seeing as it's my first New Year's ceremony and you're a guest, Akito - she offered to fly us in. A car ride would've been more than seven hours, and I doubt you'd want to be with me for that long."

Instead of responding, Tohru plucked him on his temple. Kyo cringed and stared at Tohru. "What was that for?"

"Because you're being weird."

"How am I being weird?"

"It doesn't matter," Tohru said, turning away from him.

After a moment of silence, Kyo started to bother her. "Tohru. Tohru come on, just tell me what you meant. Tohru?" He poked her in her side. Tohru jerked and let out a giggle.

"Don't do that!" she said, finally turned toward him. There was a small hint of a smile on her face and Kyo almost sighed from relief. Usually Tohru would be smiling, but in rare occasions she wasn't and that was usually because of Kyo.

"I'll stop," he reached out to tickle her again and Tohru yelped, trying to contain her laughter. "If you tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you." Tohru said, holding her hands up in surrender and half giggling. "You haven't said anything the whole plane ride and right now you're barely paying attention to me. But I don't know why. And I don't know how I'm go pull off this stunt of being your fake girlfriend if I can't even figure out what's bothering you."

Kyo sighed. He'd been so wrapped up in his own world that he'd forgotten he was dragging along poor Tohru with him too. "I'm sorry," he said. Kyo wanted to look out of the window and continue wallowing in his thoughts, but he also wanted Tohru to feel comfortable around him. So he forced his head up and looked at Tohru's blue eyes. "It's just that the Sohma Mansion doesn't have that many good memories for me. I do love my family and I'm the tiniest bit excited to see them all together again - because I never get invited to this stupid party anyway - but I also remember the bad times I've had here. And I don't know how I'll react to certain things. I just-" At this point Kyo was having trouble keeping calm. He balled his hands into fists and took a deep breath. But before he could continue, Tohru gently put her hand on his. His eyes snapped open and found hers as she unwound his fist and intertwined their hands. "I'm tired of being angry." He said finally. "I loved being in New York because it was an escape from all of this. An escape from all of my anger and the family I associate it with."

"I don't know what kind of family problems you have, Kyo. But I think it's good that you came here." Kyo shook his head and tried to pull his hand away but Tohru didn't let him. She took hold of his calloused hands and pulled them closer. "Hear me out before you disagree. I lost my family. And I have no idea what negative memories and anger you've associated with the Sohma Mansion, but I know that your family coming together right now and inviting you is a good thing. Family is what matters and if you keep associating them with anger and such it won't matter. But maybe coming here and seeing them all will help you make new, good memories to replace the other ones."

"You think so?" Kyo asked quietly, his eyes on the window again.

Tohru thought he sounded very vulnerable right now. She had only known Kyo for four months now, but she feel a deep connection to him. Taking her other hand, she put it around Kyo's neck and pulled him in for a hug. He relaxed in her arms immediately and Tohru's heart beat wildly in her chest. "I know so." she said.

* * *

 **Part two:**

Since it was an evening party, Kyo and Tohru both decided to wander around the hotel before getting ready. Kyo found an empty room to practice martial arts and Tohru was given the massage that she had been craving.

She returned to her respective hotel room and took out the dress she was planning to wear. From a previous conversation with Kyo she learned his favorite color was a deep purple. She'd searched for hours before she'd finally found this dress. She knew that she was just a fake girlfriend tonight, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to impress people.

Once she finished with her hair, Tohru applied some lip gloss and examined herself in the mirror. She never had time for these types of parties - she was always at work. She enjoyed admiring a princess worthy reflection in the mirror.

When Kyo knocked on her door, she felt nervous. Was the dress too tight? Too flashy? Not flashy enough? Tohru hadn't had any time to purchase any jewelry so she hoped her bare neck didn't look weird.

After a deep breath she opened the door and her mouth nearly fell open. Sure, Kyo cleaned up for work but he'd always dressed in a boyish-hipster way. But today, in front of her, he looked like a man. He was wearing dark grey slacks, a white shirt, and a tie that was patterned with purple diamonds that Tohru swore matched her dress.

Kyo's eyes widened at her too. "Wow." he said, his eyes traveling up and down her body. Tohru immediately pulled him into the room and closed the door.

"Is it too much? Does it look bad?" she asked frantically. "You said it would be an evening party but I didn't know how elegant."

To her surprise, he just smiled at her and took her hands into his. "You look great." he said, staring at her dead in the eyes. He squeezed her hands to try to calm her down.

"Are you sure?" Tohru asked, trying to sneak another look at the mirror, but Kyo wouldn't let her. "I swear, Tohru. You look -" he stopped, trying to find the right word. "Amazing." he decided. Fifty other words popped into his head, but he tried to keep his mouth shut. It was hard not drooling over Tohru, and he worried how he was going to keep his eyes off of her after this.

"Thank you. So," she said, taking a deep breath. "Should we go?"

Kyo blinked. He'd forgotten all about the damn party. He was more focused on the fact that Tohru's hair was finally out of its bun and fell around her face in perfect waves. "Yes- Yeah sure. Let's go."

They got in a different car this time and Kyo drove them. The presents in the back seat and trunk shook as he sped through the streets.

"So," Tohru said. "Your family thinks we're dating. What if they ask us questions?"

Kyo shrugged. "Like what?"

"Um, they could ask us how we met."

"We'll just say we're coworkers, no big deal."

"Okay, how long have we been dating?"

"Uh- let's just say the beginning of November."

"So our anniversary is coming up?"

Kyo cracked a smile. "Yeah, if they try to rope you into their plans. We'll tell them that our anniversary is January 2nd, and that we want to be by ourselves."

Tohru laughed. "Why do you think it's so bad spending some time with your cousins?"

"Tohru, I promise when you meet them you'll feel the same way."

"I doubt it."

"Alright, any other questions they might ask?"

"No, I don't think so." Tohru said, and began to fiddle with the radio. After a moment, she asked, "Are they going to like me?"

"What's not to like?" Kyo asked. "You're gorgeous, funny, welcoming, you have a beautiful laugh, your smile is brighter than-" Kyo abruptly stopped, his cheeks turning pink. He cleared his throat. "Someone would have to be an idiot not to like you."

Tohru could feel butterflies dancing around in her stomach as she watched Kyo's cheeks turn pink. "Thank you," she said softly. She didn't know what it was, but the more time she spent with Kyo, the more she was afraid that when they went back to New York it wouldn't be like this anymore.

Kyo joked around with her the rest of the ride to lighten the mood. He told her how Momiji had wore the female uniform to school for his first year and then the male uniform after that and what kind of ruckus it caused, about how Shigure was always avoiding his agent who was trying to help get him published, and about how Yuki had always grown leeks in the garden next to their home and how much he hated it. "I swear if there is a dish containing leeks, I am out of here."

"You know, leek soup is my favorite thing to drink when I'm sick."

Kyo gave her a horrified look and Tohru erupted into giggles.

They arrived at the Sohma Mansion eventually and Tohru gasped. Because it wasn't just a mansion - there was one main house in the middle of the area, and then surrounding it were about ten other houses. There was a light layer of frost on the grass and Christmas lights were strung up around every house and tree. It was breathtaking.

"All of this is owned by the Sohmas?" Tohru asked, as Kyo parked the car behind a flashy red sports car.

Kyo nodded and as they walked up to the door, he put his arm around Tohru's waist. She jumped and gave him a curious look. "I - um I'm trying to make it look like we're a couple. If you want I won't-"

"No!" Tohru said, in a voice that alarmed Kyo. Taking a breath, Tohru said in a more calmer tone: "No, its fine." It had been a year since her last relationship, but her previous had been nothing like this. Being around Kyo recently had been sending her heart into overdrive, and now with his arm against her pulling her close to him like she belonged there - She'd never felt sparks like this with anyone before.

It was a relief when someone finally opened the door and she could distract herself from Kyo's presence.

If she thought the outside was amazing- she was not prepared at all for the main Sohma house. The ceiling was huge, and Tohru could tell that the width of the house was more than five times her apartment. In front of them stood a beautiful girl with long, dark brown hair, and wearing an emerald green dress.

"You must be the girl Kyo's been keeping a secret." she said with wide smile. "Welcome!"

Kyo's arm tightened a little around Tohru as they stepped inside. "Yeah, this is Tohru. Tohru, this is my cousin Kagura."

Kagura pulled Tohru from Kyo and hugged her. "I'm so glad you came. Kyo said you weren't going to make it."

"It's nice to meet you." Tohru said, equally as enthusiastic.

"Come in, come in. Everyone's having such a great time."

"The presents are in the car," Kyo said. "I'm going to find Shigure and tell him help me get them."

"Take your time, Kyo." Kagura waved him off. "So Tohru tell me, how did Kyo convince such a beautiful girl like you to date him?"

"I -uh," Tohru shrugged. What was she supposed to say to this?

"He's not that great when it comes to reading a girl's mind. Did you have to ask him out?"

Tohru decided to just stick as close to the truth as possible. "No, he asked me. We work in the same building and he was one of the first people I met there. We started eating lunch together everyday and then he just asked me."

"He asked you?" Kagura asked with wide eyes, handing Tohru a cup of punch. "Wow, I guess living in New York has turned him into a new person." She laughed at her own joke while Tohru smiled. She liked Kagura - she was so alive in her eyes.

"So this is Akito's house?" Tohru asked. Her eyes kept wandering around all the decorations in the house. There were Christmas lights strung around the staircase, and in the main room where Kagura was taking them was a big banner that said "HAPPY NEW YEARS" in several colors of glitter. "Did she decorate it all by herself?"

"It's the main Sohma family house. Hatori and Akito both live here. A couple of the cousins live in the surrounding houses, but not many."

"It must be nice to have such a huge family."

Kagura's head jerked toward the kitchen as the oven timer went off. "Hold that thought," she said. "I'll be right back, Tohru."

Everyone was already talking, and Tohru felt a little lonely when Kagura left to check the kitchen. She met Kyo's eye from across the room. He smiled at her, but Tohru could tell it wasn't genuine. His eyes darted around the people around him as he made his way to her.

She allowed him to take her into his arms so he could relax. "She didn't say anything too embarrassing about me, did she?"

"No, not really." Tohru said as a tall man with a wide smile approached them.

"Hello, Kyo!" he said, pulling the gingerhaired boy into a hug.

Kyo made a choking sound, and the man rolled his eyes. "Hey, Shigure."

"You're a little late, I was afraid you'd changed your mind."

"I was looking for you to help me out with the presents in my car."

"Oh Kyo," said the man bending at the waist dramatically. "Why do you always enlist your eldest cousin, the one with the weak, aching bones to help you with such endeavors?"

"You're the reason I got all those presents." Kyo bristled.

Shigure rolled his eyes and then finally noticed Tohru. "And who's this?" He asked, extending his hand to her.

Tohru shook his hand and smiled. "I'm Tohru Honda. Uh- Kyo's girlfriend." Tohru turned pink; it was the first time she'd said it out loud.

She met her "boyfriend's" eye and he smiled at her, reassuring her that no one had heard the uncertainty in her tone.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Miss Honda. I'm Shigure. I'm sure Kyo's told you all about me!"

"He mentioned you." Tohru said and Shigure turned to glare at Kyo.

"You haven't told Tohru about the most amazing member of your family?" He exclaimed.

"Shigure, it's Kyo's first New Year's dinner. Please don't scare him off so soon." A melodic voice interrupted. The trio turned to see a woman coming down the stairs. Her dark hair was pinned up in a sparkling clip and she was wearing a traditional kimono. She wore bright red lipstick that contrasted well with her pale skin. Tohru thought she looked ethereal.

Shigure went to meet her at the bottom of the stairs and kissed her on the cheek. "You know I have no intention of doing that, dear."

They came back to Tohru and Kyo and Shigure had a very happy smile on his face. "Tohru, meet the love of my life: Akito."

Akito politely shook Tohru's hand. "It's very nice to meet you! I wanted to thank you for inviting me here."

"It was no problem dear." She said. Even though she'd only spoken a few words, Tohru was enchanted by her voice. Akito spoke in a very seductive, velvety tone. "I've always loved having a big family. The more people, the merrier." And then she turned to Kyo, who hadn't smiled at all since hearing her voice. "Aren't you going to greet me, cousin? I can't remember the last time I saw you."

There was an awkward moment of just the two staring at each other but eventually Kyo moved forward to hug her. "It's nice to see you," he said, not sounding like he meant it at all.

"It's been so long," Akito sighed. "I thought you'd forgiven me for what I said all those years ago."

As if struck by something, Kyo pulled away roughly. He said nothing.

"It's no matter." Akito smiled. "I'm glad you're here. Why don't you and Tohru help yourselves to some appetizers? I need to check to make sure the fireworks are ready."

She left with a swish of her kimono and Tohru reached for Kyo's hand. He frowned but squeezed her hand.

Shigure led them to the appetizer table as if nothing had happened. "You're in for a real treat, Tohru. Us Sohmas know how to really ring in the New Year. Fireworks are just the tip of the iceberg."

"That sounds amazing!" Tohru said but she was still focused on Kyo. His face was less pale now as he took some fruits but she could tell he was lost in his thoughts. She wondered what the history was between Kyo and Akito.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Said an amused voice.

Kyo and Tohru turned to see a young man standing with a girl who had the same ginger hair as Kyo. The first word that came to Tohru's mind was "beautiful". And really there was no way to describe them.

"Oh I forgot you'd be here." Kyo said to the boy. "Tell me, Kisa. How do you handle that brat?"

"Oh Kyo." Shigure laughed. "You know Hiro is only jealous because you and Kisa look so similar."

"They do not!" The boy- Hiro bristled. "Kisa is much more-" But he was silenced as the girl pulled away from him to hug Kyo.

"I didn't know you were coming, brother!" She smiled.

As if for the first time at the party, Kyo smiled genuinely. "I'm glad I did." He said. "When did you get so tall?" He ruffled her hair and then turned her attention to Tohru. "I want you guys to meet Tohru, my girlfriend."

"Nice you meet you guys!"

Hiro gave her the same look that he gave Kyo. Kisa hugged her. "You're so pretty!" She said.

Tohru laughed. "I'm nothing compared to this family. Each one of you is more beautiful than the next! Are you Kyo's sister?"

Hiro laughed and Kisa gave him a look. "No, I just used to call him that when we were little. I used to see him everyday when he used to stay here."

"Kyo used to live here in the Sohma house with you guys?"

Kisa nodded, smiling at some unknown memory. "Oh I remember those days," Shigure laughed. "There would be a new window or door to fix everyday. At least when he moved in with Yuki and I, he calmed down."

"You used to break windows and doors?" Tohru raised an eyebrow at him.

"You have no idea, Tohru. He was very rebellious." Shigure laughed.

"You seem so mild mannered at work."

Kyo scoffed. "I am mild mannered. I was only rebellious for like two years."

"Come on, Tohru. I'm sure we have a family photo book with pictures." Kisa said, pulling Tohru toward another room.

"Kisa!" Hiro exclaimed watching her walking away with a frown. "We were supposed to prank Momiji!"

"We'll prank him later!"

Hiro made a grumbling sound and glared at Kyo. "Great!" He said. "I wanted to spend New Year's Eve with her and now she's spending it with your annoying girlfriend."

"She's not annoying, you brat." Kyo said shaking his head when Tohru simply followed along with Kisa.

"Did someone say my name?" Momiji asked, popping out from under the table.

Hiro jumped away. "What were you doing under there, you weirdo?"

"I accidentally knocked over a bowl of grapes." Momiji sighed. "I was trying to pick them up but..."

"No worries." Kyo said, finishing the last bit of food in his plate. "I'll get a maid."

"Hey who's that in the purple dress?" Momiji asked, suddenly noticing Tohru. "She's beautiful!"

"No she's not." Hiro said. "That's Kyo's girl friend-" but Momiji had not stopped to listen. He'd bounded off to the other room to say hello. Hiro didn't want to be left alone with Shigure so he joined them too. They were leafing through a baby book and Kisa was paused on a picture of baby Kyo who was being held by Hatori.

"How cute!" Tohru smiled. "Is that his father?"

There was an awkward pause as Kisa, Momiji, and Hiro looked at each other. "No," Momiji said at last. "That's Hatori, the family doctor."

"Oh, well are there any pictures of his parents? He didn't have any at his apartment."

"I think there's one picture..." Kisa said, flipping to the back. "Here it is."

The last ten pages of the book had collages of parents holding their children. Momiji pointed out his and Tohru cooed about him. At the very end in the corner, was a small picture of a lady in a hospital bed holding a little boy with ginger hair. The father was smiling at the bundle of joy but the mother had a distant look on her face.

"Is that the only one?" Tohru frowned. Every other child had a whole page for themselves. But on this page it was just this picture, and then one of Kyo's sensei holding him.

"She wasn't alive for very long," Kyo said. They all stared at him, not realizing he had been standing there.

Tohru saw that same haunted look on his face that he had when he had been talking to her in the car about his anger with the Sohma house. "I'm sorry." Tohru said immediately. Her own parents were dead and she thought she should've said something more compelling; something to show that it was okay for him to open up to her - but that was all she could manage. Mostly she wanted to pull Kyo into a hug but he was standing very stiff. "You never told me about your parents." Tohru said, not caring that the other Sohmas were still there and that her words might conflict with the fake relationship Tohru and Kyo were portraying. "What- what about your dad?"

"I don't usually talk about it," he said at first with a sigh. "He left not long after mom committed suicide."

Tohru took a breath and immediately jumped up from hair chair to reach for Kyo. The book clattered to the floor as she wound her her hands around him.

He bit his lip and relaxed into her. It was just four months ago when he'd met Tohru. She'd been just a skirmish stranger then. Just an intern he'd wanted to help out. He had vaguely noted the color of her eyes upon their first encounter but that was it. Now she was so family to him. Her smell, the small sound she made when she swallowed, her petite frame - it was all so calming to him. Once upon a time he would've never brought up the topic of his parents to his girlfriend- but now he was glad to be telling Tohru.

"It was a long time ago." He said, even though his voice was tight.

"I lost my parents too." Tohru said quietly, still holding on to him. "But I have memories of them. You..."

"I don't need them." Kyo said. "I've gotten over it, I swear Tohru. I - why would I need them when I've got you?"

Tohru could feel her heart beat pick up. Did he really mean that? Or did he say that just because there were people around? And was it bad that it gave her the most happiest feeling?

She pulled away to meet his gaze. He was smiling at her. Even though Tohru had a thousand questions running through her head, she returned his smile.

"Come on," he said lifting up the baby book and giving it back to Tohru. "Don't worry about things that are I buried a long time ago. There's plenty pictures of my cousins for us to make fun of."

Even though the others seemed pretty shaken up, Tohru nodded and asked Kisa to show her pictures of Hiro, to which the latter opposed loudly. Kyo enjoyed watching the group interact, but his mind was spinning.

Why had he said that about Tohru? He didn't even have her- she was his fake girlfriend. She probably thought he was crazy saying such things. But it had been such a true statement. He meant it.

What else did he need? He thought, gazing at the animated woman. She was tickling Hiro now and Kisa was red in the face with laughter. What else did he need besides someone that made him happy and enjoyed making sure everyone else around them was happy?

Tohru immensely enjoyed the party, and met all the other cousins. Most of them were very welcoming to her and Kyo barely saw her for the rest of the party as they engaged with her. Kyo wondered how she wasn't annoyed yet.

Ten minutes before the new year, he was able to grab two flutes of champagne and find his fake girlfriend. Everyone was already on the roof and he found her talking to Momiji. Kyo had already had a couple drinks so he felt bold enough to pull Tohru against him. She fit with him easily and smiled up at him, not minding.

"Okay," Momiji said. "I'm gonna go find Hiro. I've got a great prank to do!" He bounced away and Tohru laughed.

"Your family is so amazing." She sighed, taking a sip of champagne. "They were all so welcoming to me, I feel like part of the family!"

"I can't believe you liked that." Kyo laughed. "I'm so glad I brought you. Most of the brats were too focused on you to bother me." He jumped away before Tohru could give him a well earned jab in the ribs. "Tohru please don't abuse me on New Years!"

She rolled her eyes at the ginger haired man and pulled him back. "I can't believe it's already a new year." She said, gazing at the horizon spread in front of them. "So much has happened... A new job, moving to a new state."

"New relationships." Kyo said quietly, and then quickly added. "You know - people at work, meeting my family and everything."

Tohru smiled. "And us."

"I think we pretty much fooled everyone." Kyo said before drinking all of the champagne in his glass. "Fooled myself too."

Tohru sighed. "For I second I forgot this wasn't real." Kyo couldn't tell if this was supposed to be a happy statement or a sad one. All he knew was that he wanted this to be real. He wanted to shout it from the rooftop, he wanted to press Tohru against him and never worry about letting her go, he wanted to be able to properly introduce Tohru as his girlfriend, and he wanted to wake up and see her face first thing in the morning.

He didn't know if he could go another moment and keep it in him. And then with champagne flowing through his veins he asked, "Do you want it to be real?"

And there it was. the big question. Tohru swallowed. Since you first asked me, was what she wanted to say. But what if he just laughed in her face? He was the one that hadn't even asked to her this party properly. He'd asked her to be his fake date- as if asking her on a real date had never occurred to him. She didn't want to ruin the night. But if she said nothing at all, how long would she regret it for?

She turned to Kyo to speak her mind but she was interrupted by the family calling out in unison. "5... 4, 3 -"

"Do you want it to be?" she asked him.

Kyo smiled as the countdown ended. Joining in with everyone else, his hand cupped Tohru's cheek and brought her closer to him. He watched as recognition dawned in her eyes, and they closed. His own closed as well as their lips met. It was only for two brief seconds before he pulled away to answer her question. Fireworks began to go off all around them. They illuminated Tohru's face and he leaned closer to be better heard over the noise. "That's all I've ever wanted wanted."

Tohru smiled brightly at him. "Me too," she said, and her hands found the tops of his collar and pulled him back to her, their lips meeting again.

They would look back on this day every New Year's and joke about when they realized they'd fallen in love. Kyo swore he'd fallen for her long before New Years and it never failed to bring a smile to Tohru's face. She thanked the universe every day for bringing them together in such a big city.

* * *

A/N: I know the prompt should've focused more on the actual New Year's day... But I had so much fun setting them up that I couldn't stop. I promise the next installment will not be this long. Also you'll find that in my stories Kyo's past will come up a lot, but I'll try to add a different little spin every time so not to bore you guys. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review and happy holidays!


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt three: young Tohru is led home by a boy who is loved by cats.**

"Do you want ice cream, Tohru?"

"Yes! Yes! Strawberry, grandpa!"

"Okay," grand father smiled at the young girl. "Stay here. The ice cream truck is around the corner so I won't see you from where I'll be standing. Please don't go anywhere."

Tohru nodded, patting the door of her sand castle. "I'll be here making my castle, grandpa." She was so focused she didn't even know when her grand father left. Little Tohru was sitting in the local play ground's sand box making a house big enough for her family. Ever since her grand father had moved in, the tiny apartment seemed a little crowded.

Suddenly, a cat jumped into the sand box, knocking over Tohru's dream house. "Hey!" Tohru exclaimed. "Bad cat! I'm trying to make a nice house that grandpa will like." The cat looked at Tohru and the little girl smiled, moving closer to stare into its eyes. "You're so pretty!" She cooed, reaching out to pet it.

But it moved out of her reach. Tohru leaned closer but it jumped out of the box. Tohru stood up as well, determined to pet her new friend. The cat turned its head toward the forest suddenly and then looked at Tohru.

"Stay still, kitty." Tohru said. "I just want to rub your head."

But the cat paid her no attention and headed for the woods. Completely forgetting that she was supposed to stay in the play ground, Tohru followed it. It was an agile grey cat and ran fast, blending in with the shadows every now and then.

Eventually it stopped at a little pond and jumped on the rocks, trying to get across. Tohru copied it, but seeing as she was human, she was a little more wobbly during her landing.

"Hey!" Came a voice from behind her. "Careful or you'll fall."

Tohru crouched on the rock and turned to see a boy with pale skin and orange hair. It was such a random color and Tohru immediately broke out into a smile. "Wow." She said.

He stepped closer and held out his hand. "Come on, trust me it hurts if you fall."

Tohru shook her head and pointed to the grey cat who was watching the two. "I'm trying to catch him."

The boy rolled his eyes. "I'll get the cat, just get off those rocks."

Seeing as he was very serious, little Tohru obliged and joined hands with him. He gripped her with strength and brought her back on dry land. "How are you going to get the cat?" Tohru asked.

"I have a gift," the boy said. He turned from Tohru to look directly as the cat. Tohru could swear they were having some kind of staring contest and then the cat meowed and bounded toward them. Tohru outstretched her arms for it to jump into, but instead it jumped to the boy.

It wrapped against his legs and purred.

"Ugh, get off me." He said, annoyed. The cat paid his attitude no mind and purred louder.

"Is this your cat?" Tohru asked, bending down to pet it. It stiffened under her touch but didn't move away.

The boy shook his head. "No. I have a gift of calling cats to me by just looking at them. They love me. And especially this one I see around the woods a lot." Seeing how happy Tohru was with the cat, Kyo reached down to scratch it behind its ear. "You're a mischievous one aren't you?" Kyo asked it. "Trying to make the girl fall into the pond."

The cat meowed and Tohru giggled. "It's like you're talking to the cat."

Kyo's ears perked at her laughter. It seemed like it was full of sunshine.

"Would you like to talk to me, Kitty?" Tohru asked. When the cat didn't give any reaction Tohru sighed and straightened up. "So do you like cats?" Tohru asked him. "You have this gift but you don't look happy."

"I'm not happy." Kyo said simply.

Tohru frowned. The boy was the same age as her, but he seemed much less carefree.

"What would make you happy if not cats?" She asked. Kyo shook his head, but Tohru was determined. "There has to be something! Do you want some ice cream? Do you like reading books? Do you like coloring books?"

"No." He swallowed, "I just want to get rid of my curse."

"Why? It's so wonderful! All the cats love you-"

"Don't you get it? I don't care about the cats."

"But they love you!"

"I don't want them! All I want is for my parents to love me!" He burst out. He was shaking and trying very hard not to let the tears fall from his eyes. "If I didn't have- if I didn't have this stupid curse maybe they'd-"

He stopped suddenly, and looked at Tohru who was crying. He was usually disgusted when he saw Yuki cry, but when this girl cried he immediately felt bad.

"That's so sad," Tohru murmured.

Kyo looked around, but there was no one to help. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. It's my life. You don't need to cry."

"How can I not cry?" Tohru asked. "You're such a beautiful boy and you seem so nice but your mommy and daddy aren't nice to you. That's not fair."

"It's fair." He sighed. "I was born with this curse so I don't deserve to be loved."

"Don't say that!" Tohru demanded. Her tiny voice had gone an octave higher as her tears increased. "It's not your fault cats like you."

And then Kyo realized how much she didn't know. She was just a young kid like him but she had no idea how horrible the world was. How horrible his true form really was.

So he sighed and pulled out a tissue from his pocket. "Wipe your nose." He said to her. "Don't worry about me. You should go back home."

Tohru sniffed. "Are you going now?"

"Yeah," he said, even though he had no where specific to be. "Don't worry about me." He repeated and walked away.

* * *

He tried to put her out of his mind for the rest of the day - but luck wasn't on his side. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her teared up face and every time he found himself in a quiet place her words echoed back to him. "It's not your fault."

He had grown up believing it was his fault. Everyone said it was, so he had believed them. That girl didn't know anything. That's why she thought there was some hope for him. She didn't know. But still - he walked around like a normal boy, he looked like a normal boy, smiled like a normal boy, he loved them like a normal boy but his parents never once looked at that. All they could see was the creature underneath. What if that girl was right? Was it possible that it wasn't his fault?

His thoughts were interrupted by Shigure. "Look at this," he sighed, holding a flier with a picture on it. "Some poor girl today wandered away from the playground while her parents weren't looking. They can't seem to find her, I feel so bad."

At first Kyo thought nothing of it until Yuki looked at the picture and commented. "She has the most beautiful smile."

Abruptly Kyo stood up and snatched the picture from his older cousin. It felt like his stomach had dropped out of his body. The girl in the photo was the girl he'd met in the playground. They'd met hours ago and it was getting dark now. Had she been wandering around in the forest the whole time?

His voice shook as he yelled out. "Cats! Come here! Cats! I- I need you!" All at once there was a pattering noise on the roof of the house as dozens of cats of all sizes arrived at the call. They swarmed the door immediately and Kyo opened it. He showed them the picture. "She's in the woods. If you've seen me take me to her."

Three cats began to meow loudly and Kyo quickly put his shoes on. They knew where the girl was.

"Kyo what are you doing?" Shigure asked. He'd never seen his young cousin act so quickly or have such a determined look on her face. "Do you know that girl?"

Kyo nodded. "I'm going to find her." He said and immediately started running after the three cats that were leading him. He didn't know why, but he couldn't let anything happen to the girl.

The cats led him to a deep part of the forest where snakes slithered around the trees. He wondered if the girl was hurt.

Eventually the cats began meowing again and Kyo heard the sniffles of a crying girl. Slowly, he let the cats lead him to her. She immediately stopped crying when she saw them. "Kitties!" She sniffed. Even though she was still crying, she smiled.

This time, the cats let her pet them as if they'd known her their whole life.

"Hey," Kyo said softly.

Tohru's tears stopped. "It's you!" She said.

He nodded. "Your name is Tohru, right?" He asked, remembering the name from the flier. "You're mom and dad are very worried about you. They've been looking for you all day."

Tohru sniffed and blew her nose on her shirt. "You told me to go home but I didn't know which way the sandbox was. I was hungry so I decided to take a little nap, but when I woke up it was dark and I don't-"

"Shh, shh. Calm down." Kyo said, before she had the chance to start sobbing again. "I'm here to take you home."

Tohru's eyes lit up. "Oh thank you!" she sighed.

"We have to be a little quiet though. There are snakes sleeping in the trees and we don't want to wake them up." Tohru seemed to turn pale, but she nodded and pretended to make the motion of locking her mouth and throwing away the key. He almost laughed.

One of the bigger cats meowed and began leading them out of the forest. Kyo was glad because he had no idea where this girl's home was. Maybe having these cats around all the time wasn't so horrible afterall. Tohru stood up too and reached for Kyo's hand. He held on to her, glad the darkness of the evening was covering the blush on his face.

"How did you know my name?" she asked, once they were out on the street surrounded by street lights. Kyo could sense she was more relaxed now that the threat of snakes was gone.

"Someone from your family was handing out fliers asking if people had seen you. Your name was on there."

Tohru nodded and then asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm Kyo." he said.

"KE-yo." Tohru said slowly, and this time Kyo laughed.

"It's not that hard to pronounce, silly. Your name is harder to say than mine."

"Is not!"

"Yeah it's got a 'u' at the end of it. I took a guess when pronouncing it. I thought you were gonna correct me and tell me to say 'tohroo' or maybe the 'u' was silent so it would be Tohr."

They began to have a conversation laughing about all of the silly names they'd ever heard of. Kyo insisted Yuki was the most ridiculous but Tohru disagreed.

"I have a girl in my class whose name is Yahoo."

Kyo laughed. "Like the drink?"

Tohru nodded excitedly and then suddenly began running to someone. Seeing as she was still holding Kyo's hand he was abruptly dragged with her. "Hey!" he exclaimed, but Tohru wasn't paying attention. She was more focused on the lady with fiery orange hair who had her arms outstretched toward Tohru.

Kyo knew he would be in trouble if he was caught in the middle of their hug, so he managed to wiggle his hand away from Tohru's.

"Mommy!" Tohru cried, jumping into her arms.

Her mother was crying and smiling at the same time. She picked Tohru up and spun her around with a joyful laugh. "Tohru, don't you ever leave me again." Her mother cried. "You scared me. Please please, I love you. Please don't ever leave me again."

"I'm sorry." Tohru said, holding her mom even tighter.

Kyo swallowed, watching the happy pair. He wondered what that felt like. But for once, sadness did not overcome him. He felt a warm feeling building up in his chest and he was barely able to contain the smile on his face.

* * *

A/N: This one is much shorter compared to my previous two chapters lol. But it still counts :D Hope you enjoyed. The next two chapters will be a little more angsty before it gets fluffy. **Make sure to review! And if you have a prompt idea or any little dialogue you want me to incorporate, I would love to try.**

Up next: Crossover of Fruba and Harry Potter


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt four: teaching Kyo to cast a patronus (with curse)**

 **Trigger warning: This chapter has family abuse/violence.**

* * *

Like most Sohma love stories, it started with God. Or in this special case - Akito.

Just like every other God before him, Akito was born a squib. And just like every other God before him, he took his anger out on his younger cousins.

Kyo always got the worst of it. He was made to come in to the Sohma house mid-August and serve for Akito until it was time to go to Hogwarts. But as hard as he tried to be a loyal slave, Akito always had a problem with him.

Kyo was cursed at everyday. He was made to feel as if his existence was worthless.

In the beginning, if his hands shook while bringing Akito his tea, Akito would throw it on him. They were lucky Hatori was an expert healer.

But despite all visible markings being healed, not even Hatori could heal Kyo's wounded heart. At ten years old all Kyo knew was martial arts and that he was the outcast of the curse. He didn't want to go to Hogwarts after those first two weeks with Akito. He didn't want to be around anyone ever again. Akito said if Kyo stayed with him in the mansion instead of going to Hogwarts, he would stop being so mean to him. Kyo desperately wanted to stay. He just wanted to be alone and for Akito to stop yelling at him.

Rin came to him the afternoon before they were supposed to leave for Hogwarts. He begged and pleaded to be left alone but Rin was having none of it. "I've been through this, Kyo." She had said. "Trust me." This was the first time Kyo realized that he wasn't the only one Akito abused.

Rin was the year of the horse and a year older than Kyo. She was also the only one who didn't look at Kyo like he was a monster. She saved that for Akito; it gave Kyo the tiniest bit of hope that she didn't hate him as much as the world did.

She led him through a weird town and then behind a shopping complex, and they finally stopped at a brick wall. He watched carefully as she tapped a circle of bricks with her wand.

And then - to Kyo's amazement, the bricks shook. At first he thought the wall was going to come down on them. But suddenly, the middle brick fell backward. And Kyo saw from the tiny new hole in the wall that there was a town behind it. The bricks then rearranged themselves so that Rin and Kyo could enter.

That was the first time Kyo was surrounded with people who could also do magic. He saw people who didn't have to hold anything because their belongings floated along after them. He saw a book that waved at him. He saw kids flying around on brooms- actually flying. Initially, it had freaked Kyo out. But then Rin led him to get a wand.

Hatori and his Sensei from the dojo were waiting for them there. Kyo hesitated because Akito said that if he ever saw Sensei to ignore him or Akito would beat him. But then Sensei opened his arms and ten year old Kyo knew nothing except that he longed for a hug from the one person that was almost a parent to him. Sensei was a muggle so Hatori told him that this meeting would be erased from his memory after leaving, but Sensei simply hugged Kyo tighter. "I want to be here for you." He said.

That was the last time Kyo hugged anyone.

When Kyo finished his first year at Hogwarts, he didn't want to go home - to the inevitable punishment Akito was going to serve him.

And like every other Sohma love story, Kyo's also involved a spell. It was the end of fourth year when Kyo had been reading "Harry Potter - a True Wizard Till the End" by Aberforth Dumbledore.

He was currently on the chapter discussing how Harry and his friends had formed the DA in order to teach themselves about Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he was particularly interested in the Patronus charm. It was used to fight off a monster called a Dementor. When Kyo looked them up, he was shocked by how similar their description was to Akito. Soul-sucking. Caused the world to turn cold. Brought out your worst memories.

Maybe if he learned to cast a Patronus, he could fight off Akito.

He wasn't allowed to practice magic back in the muggle world, so when he went back home to Akito he had no defense. The only thing that gave him hope was that he was a wizard and he would teach himself to cast a Patronus.

He was practically bursting with excitement on September 1st of his fifth year when he boarded the Hogwarts Express with his cousins. During his second week, he'd finally found an empty classroom he could use during lunch time to practice.

He spent his first day there practicing the wrist motions. Everyone knew that no spell could be cast if one's movement of the wand was incorrect.

The next day he began to say the incantation. "Expecto Patronum." He said it a second time, with a flourish of his wand. Nothing. Not even a feeling. "Expecto Patronum." He hoped saying it louder would improve his case. No change. "Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum. Argh!"

He stood there in the empty room, feeling despair creeping up on him. How could it not work? He pounced onto the book, checking to make sure he was pronouncing it properly. Expecto Patronum - nope nothing wrong with his incantation. Was it how he was moving his wand?

Kyo spent the rest of the hour practicing.

He checked out a different book during lunch the next day. The first one had said he just needed a good memory to help him produce a Patronus. This new book said that it had to be a particularly amazing memory. Kyo almost threw the book out the window in anger.

A good memory was his first step into the Hufflepuff common room. That was his only good memory! It might not be such an amazing memory to everyone else but it was to him. If that didn't work, did that mean there was no hope for him? He went to lunch with a solemn look which Yuki immediately picked up on.

Now, Kyo didn't like Yuki very much. Yuki was the Sohma everyone adored - even more than Akito. And Kyo hated how easy it was for him. How easily he had been accepted by everyone when Kyo wasn't. However, Yuki had saved him this summer. He had asked Akito to allow Kyo to accompany him, Shigure, Momiji, Haru, Rin, and a group of people from Hogwarts to go camping. The whole trip was supposed to be for three weeks, but Akito only allowed Kyo one. Nonetheless, it was still something. It was odd being around a dozen, happy people - but Kyo would never forget it.

Kyo wondered if he was indebted to Yuki now.

"What?" he asked gruffly, noticing Yuki staring at him.

"You've been skipping lunch for the past few days." Yuki said slowly to his orange-haired cousin. It wasn't like him to butt into other people's business, but him and Kyo were the only cousins to be sorted into Hufflepuff. And he knew the burden the curse was on Kyo. He felt responsible for it - afterall he was born in the year of the rat and it was the rat's fault the cat had lost. Or so he'd been told by Akito. "I was wondering why you had come today."

"I got hungry." Was all Kyo said. He usually ate his lunch in silence. Most Hufflepuffs knew Kyo wasn't much for conversation and could sense that he was especially broody.

Haru came to see them before the end of lunch. He was born with naturally two toned hair, but he had put some green streaks in random places to support Slytherin in their Quidditch match this weekend. Kyo thought it was more of a darker tone than the color on the Slytherin flags, but he kept his mouth shut. Haru and Rin were dating and Haru already didn't like how much attention his girlfriend gave Kyo.

But surprisingly he brought up Kyo's name in conversation. "You should bring Kyo." He was saying to Yuki. Kyo looked up for an explanation, but Haru had already left.

"Bring me where?" He asked Yuki.

Yuki looked just as confused as him. "Haru and some of his friends were planning to go to Hogsmeade this weekend to relax and get some drinks."

"What friends?"

"Well his Slytherin buddies and Momiji. He was supposed to go with Rin, but she's busy with a special project. So he thought it would be us cousins and his friends."

Kyo made a face and stood up. "This weekend?" he asked.

Yuki nodded. "I - uh - I'd like it if you came." He said suddenly. "I could use some help choosing a gift for Rin's birthday present and you're good friends with her. You probably know what she'd like, right?"

He held his breath waiting for a response. Yuki knew his cousin hated him; he knew it long before Akito had told him. And it was for good reason afterall. So Yuki constantly felt guilty as a child. And he felt guiltier still when Akito asked Kyo to come live at the mansion instead of him. Everyone knew how Akito was. But they'd let Kyo go anyway. At least it wasn't them. He'd managed to look past it once at Hogwarts, where he was surrounded with friends, vast information, and magic. But he felt as if no matter how big his smile, no matter how kind his words, nothing would make up for the fact that it was his fault that Kyo was the outcast.

He hoped Kyo would join them. He wanted to at least try to bridge something between his cousin. Maybe one day Kyo could forgive him.

Kyo thought the last part of Yuki's reasoning seemed rather rushed. "Why don't you ask Hatsaharu what she wants as a gift? Rin is his girlfriend after all."

Yuki chuckled. "You know how Haru is about Rin. I know it's just a small gift but I don't want him to get the wrong idea."

Kyo nodded. Everyone thought Haru was crazily overprotective of Rin - but Kyo supposed one had to be when Akito threatened to tear them apart every time he saw them together.

* * *

So the weekend found Yuki and Kyo walking quietly behind a group of Slytherins and Gryffindors. The Slytherins were Haru's friends, and the Gryffindors were Momijis. Even though he was only in his first year, almost everyone in the school had taken a liking to him and he had a large group of friends.

A few people - Kyo noticed - had been with them during the camping session. One girl in particular stuck out. Her name was Tohru something, he recalled vaguely. She had been surprised by the color of his hair and commented how closely it resembled her mother's. Kyo had asked if her mother was in the Weasely family because he often got mistaken for having similar ginger hair like them. She had laughed. "No." She twirled her hair in her hand. "I don't have many pictures of my mom but it's nice to see you- I mean that you - that someone has hair like her. You remind me of her." Tohru smiled. Kyo noticed that although she sounded very sad, her smile didn't waver. He didn't know what to say to that and had only had a fleeting moment to realize that her eyes were an amazing blue color when she was called away by Momiji. Even though he hadn't attended Hogwarts until this year, Momiji had become instant friends with Tohru and Kyo hadn't had a chance to have another proper conversation with her.

She made eye contact with Kyo and waved at him from ahead. He waved back, his heart jumping from being reminded that her eyes were indeed an amazing shade of blue.

The group split up once reaching Hogsmeade and Yuki followed Kyo to a Quidditch supply shop. "She already has a great riding broom." Kyo said, walking past those. "Maybe you could buy her some armour? Or a good book on Quidditch strategies."

Yuki nodded and began to inspect the bookshelf. He knew more about Quidditch than Kyo, but he still engaged in conversation. Kyo thought felt awkward the entire time - he was so used to hating his cousin. But maybe (like everything else) he should ignore what Akito said. Okay, yes Yuki was born in the year of the rat but that wasn't his fault. No one had asked for the curse.

Yuki finally decided to buy her a fake quaffle that one could hide bottles of butterbeer in.

After a couple of hours of just small talk, they decided to go eat. Momiji and Tohru came in right after them and their cousin broke out in a smile and reached to hug them both. "Kyo! Yuki! I've been wondering where everyone went."

Kyo stepped back to avoid his hug and Yuki gave him a look.

Rin had done Kyo a favor and made sure that no child born after Yuki would know about Kyo's other form. Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro had no idea how the curse truly affected Kyo, and while their hugs wouldn't turn him into a monster Kyo still avoided their affections.

Kyo requested they head to the book shop across the street next. He wanted to see if there was anything there about Patronus charms.

They found the rest of the group also in the book shop. Yuki left to talk to them while Kyo started toward the back. He found Tohru there, reaching for a book three feet above her. Using the magical lever on the side, it came down easily and when she turned to leave she noticed she had company.

"Oh, hello." she said brightly. The book she was holding was about Godric Gryffindor.

"Hey." he said.

Tohru simply watched him for a moment as he assessed her. She didn't know much about this orange-haired hufflepuff. She'd seen him become pretty popular their first year, but after that he seemed to distance himself off. All the kids he used to talk to said they hadn't caught up with him in a very long time. She wondered what had caused such a change. Tohru recalled that during the camping trip he'd participated in a lot of activities but he was always reserved, only speaking to those he knew. She wondered why he was so closed off. She wondered if he was lonely.

"Momiji said you guys are cousins. Is that true?" she asked, feeling a sudden need to know more about this boy.

Kyo nodded. "Yes, Momiji, Yuki, Haru, Rin, and I are all cousins."  
Tohru's eyes widened each time he said a new name. "But you guys look nothing alike! Well - maybe Yuki a little bit. Yuki looks like he could be your brother."

Kyo made a face. "I've always thought Yuki and Haru looked alike because they both have a hairstyle that has the color white. Well, Yuki's hair is more silver but you know what I mean."

"No," Tohru laughed. "You and Yuki both have that same quiet nature and brooding demeanor. Of course your's is more closed off - ah - no offense." She was beginning to go pink in the cheeks and Kyo shook his head.

"Yuki and I are on different sides of the spectrum." Kyo said, and began his book search.

"Are you looking for anything specific?"

Kyo thought about talking to Tohru, but he could see from around the bookshelf that Momiji was looking for someone - undoubtedly Tohru. "Nothing that I need help finding." he said bluntly.

Tohru took the hint and left.

Unfortunately, there was nothing there that Kyo hadn't already seen in the Hogwarts library. He felt at a loss. He couldn't let his life continue like this. He was tired of the way he was treated and because of the curse, he couldn't say no to Aktio.

Before he could allow himself a moment to despair further, Yuki found him and told him that they were all going to eat now. Kyo wasn't in the mood for eating anything, but he obliged.

They pushed two tables together at the cafe so they could all eat together. Kyo was seated in between Momiji and a Slytherin - meaning he would be conversing with no one during this meal. The atmosphere was surrounded with laughter and warmth but Tohru couldn't help but notice that Kyo didn't participate. She didn't know why, but her eyes seemed to naturally gravitate toward him. Was it his brightly colored hair that she wanted to run her fingers through or was it the way he looked at his cousins for acceptance every two minutes that interested her?

She met him in the library later that evening when he was looking for more books about a Patronus.

"Are you trying to learn how to do that?" she asked suddenly.

Kyo's eyes jerked up - he hadn't heard anyone approach. I must be really tired, he thought. "Yes," he sighed. "But they aren't teaching this to students until sixth year so I'm having difficulty with it."

"Why do you want to learn how to conjure a Patronus?" Kyo shifted in his seat - he didn't have a lie prepared but he couldn't just say that he was learning so he could fight off Akito. "Do you have dementors in your area or something? We had that problem for a while too." Kyo's eyes seemed to take interest in this so Tohru continued. "There were a bunch of criminals that were known to hide in the woods behind our house and the Ministry sent Dementors to find them. But unfortunately, they kept running into my mom and I." Tohru pursed her lips at the memories and Kyo wondered if real dementors were as awful as Akito. "She taught me how to fight them off."

"I - yeah you could say I have a problem like that." Kyo said and thankfully, Tohru didn't ask for more information. "And I've been trying for two weeks now but I just can't seem to get it right."

"During lunch?" Tohru asked. Kyo gave her a look and saw her cheeks shift into a pink color. "I- um I noticed you leaving early a couple of times."

"There's an empty classroom I go to on the fourth floor near the portrait of the one eyed man. It's usually empty around lunch time." He flips through the book for a couple more minutes before Tohru finally works up the courage to ask him if he would like her to teach him. He keeps turning pages for a moment, but his eyes aren't reading the words. Tohru wonders what is going on in that head of his. "Yes." he says, finally meeting her eyes. "Yes, I would like that."

* * *

There are many Sohma love stories. And all of them involve God and magic. The curse has always hung heavy over the Sohma members - they've managed to keep it a secret for the 4 generations now that have been attending Hogwarts. But like everything else, this curse has a breaking point. And that is what this love brought out.

Tohru is running ten minutes late and Kyo half expects her not to show up. He is pacing the room and trying to think of a happy memory when the door opens and the room fills with a scent of flowers and chocolate.

Tohru mumbles out an apology as she puts her bags down. She smiles at Kyo and asks him to show her how he conjures a Patronus. He waves his wand, focusing his concentration on the wall opposite him. "Expecto Patronum!" His shout echoes throughout the room and Tohru can tell he hates that it doesn't work. She can tell he takes it as a representation of his life.

But he says nothing.

Tohru tactfully tells Kyo that he's missing something. A Patronus requires a happy memory, she says even though he already knows that. "Usually your form and the way you recite a spell is all it takes. But not for a Patronus."

It takes a moment of her staring at him for Kyo to realize she is waiting for a response. He feels suffocated suddenly. By her hopeful eyes that mirror his aching soul and by his brain which can't seem to conjure up a happy memory.

"I have to go," he says, brushing past her suddenly.

She calls out behind him, but he's already gone.

He returns to the room three days later. He's noticed that Tohru has left lunch early this week and he knows exactly where she's going. The first day he thought nothing of it and even though he wanted to follow her and accept her help, he stayed behind and quietly forced food into himself. The second day was unexpected. He'd thought she'd quit when he hadn't shown up the day before. She still wanted to help him. The third day she got up Kyo felt a smile forming on his face. He takes a big bite of his lasagna before anyone can notice the change in his facial expression. Two sips of pumpkin juice later, he gets up and heads to the fourth floor and into a room next to the portrait of the one eyed man.

Tohru is inspecting a portrait in the far end of the room when the door squeaks - signaling Kyo's entrance. He joins her.

Instead of practicing that day, they make polite conversation. Kyo can tell Tohru wants to ask why he left so suddenly before and why he came back, but they avoid the topic. Somethings are better left unsaid.

They meet again on Monday and Tohru decides to give him ideas. A Patronus, she says, is running through the house without a care in the world. It is the fresh smell of homemade cookies and the excitement that comes from knowing that they will taste better than the last burnt batch.

Kyo tries, but the results are the same as they were last week.

Tohru tries again.

A Patronus, she smiles, is the feeling of opening your Hogwarts letter. It is the feeling of acceptance and adventure. It is the thrill of knowing there is a new chapter of your life. It is the wide, proud smile of your father, and the comforting touch of your mother.

This time, Kyo doesn't even try. He avoids her eyes and Tohru can feel her heart breaking for him. Kyo changes the conversation to Tohru's life. She doesn't push him to continue practicing - she won't forget the haunting look in his eyes when he submits to the fact that he has no memory of love from his parents.

They depart the room laughing about the time Tohru got paint in her hair and ended up looking like the character from Yu-gi-oh. Tohru ingrains his laughter into her memory.

The next day a letter from Akito arrives during breakfast and Kyo loses his appetite. He comes to the room early, avoiding lunch altogether.

His mood doesn't change with Tohru's arrival. He talks to her about martial arts and explains to her that it's all he had. Tohru doesn't ask why he uses past tense.

She uses his own words to fuel him. Think of the first time you performed a kick correctly, she says. A Patronus is the first time you take in that lung full of air and launch yourself at your opponent. A Patronus is seeing that smile on Sensei's face as he hugs you.

Kyo remembers that day vividly and tries to focus on it. A silver wisp comes out of his wand.

Tohru feels hope build in her heart before Kyo suddenly crumples to the ground. She is next to him in a flash as he presses his hand to his chest - unable to breathe. She holds him and squeezes his hand as he tries to regain himself.

Kyo had forgotten until just now that that after that day he won his first sparring match Akito had invited him to show him. Kyo had obliged - everyone had to respect Akito's wishes. Kyo had raised his foot up to do his kick when suddenly Akito pushes him down.

Kyo tries to get back up but there is a foot on his throat. He can hear Sensei yelling from the background and he hears Akito command Shigure and Hatori to hold Sensei back.

"How dare you?" Akito spits at him. "How dare you raise your foot at God? How dare you - a monster - disrespect me?"

Kyo struggles, "I just did what you told me." he yells. "I'm not a monster!" But his words fall on deaf ears. Breathing is becoming a difficult task and even though Akito is only two years older than Kyo and has no muscle in his body, Akito has all the power. Kyo knows how to fight back - knows that's secretly why Sensei has been teaching him martial arts - but he's malnurished from love. He accepts Akito's violence no matter how much he physically fights it.

Akito's foot doesn't rise until Sensei finally breaks free of Shigure and Hatori. Sensei doesn't bother doing anything to Akito. He lifts up fragile Kyo and makes sure he's still breathing. Kyo's still breathing, but the bruise on his neck doesn't fade for two days. He can't help but wonder why Akito treats him like this.

"I'm not a monster," he breathes suddenly and Tohru nods next to him.

"Kyo? What did you say?" Her voice is vivid and clear in his ear, and pulls him back to reality.

He closes his eyes and leans away from her touch. He'd been so focused on the memory he'd forgotten where he was. Any closer and Tohru would have hugged him. Tohru would have found his true form.

She keeps questioning him, even after his breathing is controlled and he is able to stand up again. Kyo avoids her questions and says, "I haven't eaten all day."

She yells at him not even noticing that this is the first time in her life she's ever raised her voice. She yells at him, hysterical from the idea that he's so weak from this. His eyes are exhausted. She should have seen that. She shouldn't have pushed him to try today.

At first Kyo is annoyed. Tohru has no idea what he's been through - she has no right to yell at him. And then he meets her eyes. She's not yelling at him because she's angry at him. She's yelling because she cares about him. Kyo can see in her eyes she's blaming herself and he feels bad. Kyo wants to comfort Tohru for worrying about him. He wants to hold her so bad it aches.

But he doesn't. With her help, he slowly picks himself up and reassures her that he is going to eat right now.

The rest of the week, Tohru sits with him during lunch. She just sits there making small talk and offering up jokes and avoiding talking about Patronuses. For that, Kyo is grateful. He doesn't know if he has the courage to do this anymore. All he wants is to sit with this new friend he has made and pretend that he doesn't have to go see Akito during the winter holiday.

Next week finds Kyo and Tohru back in the room on the fourth floor. This time they try a new tactic. Kyo observes Tohru while she speaks. While she raises her wand and casts the spell. And he sees it - erupting from a single bright spark of her wand as she smiles and her eyes twinkle.

"What is a Patronus to you?" he asks her as the lion runs around their legs.

A Patronus, Tohru answers, is seeing your mom finally noticing you. It is watching her realize that while she has loved and lost, she still has you. It is seeing your mom notice that you too, are broken from loss and that you need her.

It is having hope that life goes on even after you've lost your family. It is the first breath of fresh air in the morning when you realize you have another day to get it right. It is finally getting a chance to run your hands through your friend's brightly colored hair. It is your first friendship when you start a new school.

It is coming home to portraits of memories and a neighborhood full of smiling faces.

The lion begins to fade away as Tohru's story dwindles down. Kyo is left staring at the spot where it was when he asks quietly, "What if I don't have that?"

Tohru steps up next to him. She doesn't hug him because she has a feeling he doesn't do that with anyone. She smiles at him and runs her fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes in a brief moment of bliss as Tohru tells him, "We will find it."

And so they try. Kyo has forgotten how many times he's collapsed, but every time he does, he tells Tohru a bit more about his life. A bit more about the thoughts that surround him and of the dysfunctional family awaiting him back home. She doesn't know about the curse and she doesn't totally understand why his family allowed this to happen to him. All she knows is that he could never be a monster and she would spend her entire life convincing him if she had to.

So they continue. It is all the hope Kyo has.

And it is not taking a plunge in the water on the hottest day of summer. It is not having a picnic on the anniversary of a funeral. It is not the first time you hug someone who is falling apart and feel them accept your hug. Because Kyo has known none of these events.

A Patronus, Kyo realizes, is in everyday occurrences. It is having someone sit with you during a meal and talking to you not because they see that you're lonely - but because they want to. Because they want to hear what you have to say. It is knowing that happiness is not something that you have to chase, but that follows you if you let it. It can come and go but it is never lost. It is knowing that you don't have to force yourself to hold on to happiness.

A silver wisp of light appears, and then disappears. But Tohru doesn't miss the spark in Kyo's eyes. Something about that spark sends her heart into overdrive.

A Patronus, Kyo learns, is allowing people into your life even though they know your true form. It is allowing someone to know your weaknesses and still trusting them to see beyond that. Because every moment is precious, and there is no time to pretend otherwise. It can be allowing the family that you've always pushed away to share your burdens and it is seeing that a stranger is willing to try even when you have given up on yourself.

As the silver wisp turns into a spark and begins to shine and take form, Kyo realizes that a Patronus is believing in yourself. It is letting go of the image of the monster in your head and seeing yourself as a person. It is finding out that you didn't need a spell to fight off the darkness - all you needed was yourself.

Kyo feels something lift from his very soul as a small cat bursts out of his wand and runs toward the silver wisp of a lion waiting at the other side of the room.

He hears Tohru's wonderful glee of excitement and suddenly he is at her side. He his pulling her close to him and resting his body against hers. Her hands wind around his neck and she is hugging him back, all too eager to make Kyo feel the emotion tugging at her heart.

Because she knows it is there. She knows he has found his happiness, and he has found it with her by his side. She doesn't even mind when he pulls away a bit and his gaze drops to her lips. She is angling her face already and his lips meet hers.

He is cautious and slow. He's never done this before. He's never felt like this before and Tohru is responding back. He feels like the world could end but that this moment will last forever.

And then he realizes something. He's kissing her, and he's holding her against him. How is this possible?

She doesn't understand how much she loves him until he pulls away, shocked.

"What?" she asks him. Her lips are buzzing with the feeling of him, and she doesn't understand his facial expression. Why has he got tears in his eyes?

"I'm hugging you." He barely manages to get out.

Tohru pulls her hands away, but Kyo doesn't let go and she wonders what is going on. "Yes," she nods slowly. "Kyo what-"

"I shouldn't be able to-" he says quickly before pulling her against him again. There is no space between them and Tohru wouldn't have it any other way but she doesn't understand why he's crying.

Kyo can't believe this. Is it possible that-

Suddenly there is a knock on the door and Kyo pulls away, still crying. He opens it to find Yuki, Momiji, and Haru. All of them with tears running down their faces.

There is a patter of footsteps to their left and they turn to see Rin running toward them, crying as well. Haru opens his arms and she launches herself at him, holding him as close as Kyo had been holding Tohru. They let go and suddenly all five Sohmas are hugging each other. They are huddled together, just a body of tears and smiles.

Momiji is the first to say it. "The curse." He whispers as they pull away. "I - I think it's broken." he says with wide eyes.

"How?" Rin asks.

All eyes turn to Kyo because they already know the answer. He smiles. "It's because of you," he says, turning toward Tohru.

She has no idea what is going on, but after seeing their display of affection, she knows it's something amazing and she has got tears in her eyes as well.

She steps up to Kyo and he pulls her into a hug again. It is less fierce this time and he drops a kiss on the top of her head. Tohru has no idea what she has done, but he will explain it to her. He never knew he could be anything other than a monster to the world. And then she found him.

She taught him love and she taught him to love himself. She taught him what happiness feels like. She taught him that he doesn't have to go through anything alone.

And as Kyo holds her against him and smiles, he vows to never let a day go by without Tohru knowing how much she means to him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry it took so long to update, my dear readers. This chapter specifically has been an emotional ride for me bc it hits very close to home. I just finished writing it but I haven't proof read it yet bc I can't get in my feels right now.

I can honestly say that I love this chapter - I'm sorry if it seems like I'm boasting. But I really am proud of myself for writing this. I could've gave Tohru some more personality honestly but this was more about Kyo and his struggle to find happiness. I have also always loved how happy Tohru was in the anime/manga. So I put in some insight into what could cause her patronus. I hope this made you feel good or at least something after reading this. Please leave me a review! I would love feedback and any critiques you might have.


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